Birth by sleep
by XxKeyOfHeartxX
Summary: Ventus...Terra...Aqua...I'm so sorry. I couldn't save any of you from the darkness, and now I can only run while you all sleep, waiting to awake. I was given the chance, but I won't go to sleep until I find you all...You guys, you're my birth by sleep...
1. Chapter 1: before the beginning

Author's note

Hey people, this is my first fanfic so be sure to pick up on anything that I can improve on for the future chapters, so heres my first disclaimer. Ven, d'ya wanna do it?

Ventus: *Pops out of nowhere* Hell yeah! Hrm... XxKeyOfHeartxX does not own kingdom hearts, only her OC, Kimiko.

Kimiko: Y'know it!

...Ooookaayy then. Ventus said it, so enjoy :D

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><p>A woman cloaked in a long black coat ran through the fields of Land of Departure, the hood of her coat shielding her head from the rain that quite literally bucketed down like a waterfall with thunder and lightning disrupting the calm sound of the falls. The woman clad in black did nothing but sprint, other than tighten the grip on the bundle of sky-blue blanket in her arms.<p>

A sigh of relief escaped her lips when her shadowed eyes landed on a familiar castle off in the distance. If it wasn't for the lights that surrounded the building, she probably wouldn't have seen it because of the rain and darkness that loomed over her blurring her vision, and without a second thought, she made a bee-line for it.

With the non-stop running, it only took about ten or fifteen minutes for the woman to reach the courtyard, it looked exactly same, only veins were growing over the small walls and a great big crack was in the stone platform below her feet. 'Nothing's changed…' the woman thought to herself before a stray tear rolled down her cheek. Quickly wiping it away, she made her way up the grand steps, and to the oversized double doors that lead inside, and as strange as it seemed, the white and gold doors seemed bigger than the actual castle itself!

The cloaked woman stared the doors up and down with a sad smile, before taking a deep breath and raising a fist, only to let it rest gently against the one thing that stood between her…and her home. It was a small cry that came from the bundle in her arms that gave her the courage to punch the door as many times as she could, and as fast as she could, completely oblivious to the fresh tears that seemed to stream from her eyes.

The pitter-patter of footsteps came from inside and the woman subsided her knocking, her stomach was doing summersaults in her tummy and she could no longer her the rain and thunder, only the sound of her heart beating in her ears. The woman quickly swallowed the lump that'd formed in her throat when the door began to drag open…and her breathing went shallow.

In front of her stood a little girl, about eight or nine, with sky blue hair that reached her mid-back and equal blue eyes to match, and her fringe was pulled back in a clip with a crescent moon on it. "Um…" the small girl eyed the cloaked woman curiously before reaching her hooded gaze "Can I help you?" she asked in a cute, high-pitched voice.

'Was _not _expecting that.' The woman thought to herself as she looked down at the girl with wide eyes 'When did he start taking on new apprentices?' a long silence, other than the storm outside, past through them before the woman cleared her throat and knelt down to the girl's eye level, all the while keeping a firm grip on the blanket in her hands "Um, actually…You wouldn't happen to know if Master Eraqus is here, would you?" a silent gasp escaped the woman's throat when she heard her voice crack slightly.

At the sound of Master Eraqus' name, the girl's blue eyes sparkled with delight and nodded "Yeah, he's here…" she placed a small finger to her now pouted lips "Why d'ya need him? Are you okay?" the curiosity was dripping in the girl's innocent voice, and the woman nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But…I do need to see Master Eraqus quite urgently." The woman replied honestly with slight firmness in her tone. The girl in front of her nodded her head, a few of her clipped back bangs flying in her face with the motion, and stepped to the side to let the woman in. "Thanks…" she muttered and got to her feet before she walked out of the rain and into the warmth of the place she once called _home._

The familiarity seemed to hit the woman like a brick and she could instantly hear the laughter that her and her best friends shared here, their spirits seemed to linger in the air like a curse that would follow her every step in the castle.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey<em> _Kasai, looks like I beat ya again."_

"_Whatever Kimiko, you only won because I let you."_

"_Dude, stop making up excuses, you lost to Kimiko fair and _square._"_

"_Shut it, Blake!"_

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><p>Her flashback was cut short when the sound of the front door dragging across the floor and closing reached her ears. She looked over shoulder to watch the girl as she skipped past her and over to the stairs that were a few metres in front of her. When the young girl noticed that she wasn't being followed, she turned to face the woman with a smile and waved her over.<p>

"C'mon, y'won't get to Master Eraqus if you just stand there." Her small voice seemed so loud in the empty space, it bounced off the walls and echoed through the woman's ears. She looked at the girl and couldn't help but crack a small smile before following her up the stairs and through the corridors, leading them to Eraqus' study.

'Hm, she reminds me of what I was like when I was her age.'

"My name's Aqua." The blue haired, chibby-like girl introduced with a grin. The woman's eyes trailed down to her small form and smiled sadly. "That's a very nice name, Aqua…Tell me, is there anybody else here, besides you and Eraqus?" she asked in shear curiosity.

Aqua nodded and turned her attention back towards the halls in front of them "Mhmm, Terra." Aqua seemed to pull a face at the sound of his name "He's a poo-poo head." a light giggle slipped from the woman's lips, earning her the cutest glare ever "It's not funny, Terra's always mean to me, he says that because he's a 'big boy', he's allowed to do whatever he wants. And in training, he pulls out my pony tails and laughs when I chase him…"

A scowl formed on her innocent features at the memory, the boy's pure evil laughter ringing through her ears. The black clad woman could only stare at the girl with an arched brow, she really wanted tell her something teasing like 'maybe he likes you', or 'someone has a crush, better run from those cooties', and trust, if she was in a way better state, she would've. But all she could say was "Oh."

The rest of the walk was silent, but it was only a few more minutes before the two stopped in front of a brown door, one that brought a spark of familiarity to the older of the two 'Still the same place.' She felt a tear roll down her cheek and quickly wiped it away before pulling her bundle of blanket closer to her chest and turned to thank Aqua, who was staring at her oddly, but simply shrugged it off and skipped down the hall, probably to her room or something.

The woman turned her attention back to the door and instantly felt her heart strings being pulled, as if she were a puppet and her master was pulling at the string attached to her chest. It was so much more painful to stand in front of that door than the one outside, she hadn't been home for years, and one day she just comes home with the worst news ever and expects her old Master to take on such a responsibility? The thought brought more tears to her eyes and couldn't help but clutch the blanket tighter.

Upon hearing another small cry, the woman released a shaky breath and knocked on the door a few times. It took all of her will power not to just place the bundle on the floor in front of her and run, but what good would that do anybody? Her breath seemed to catch violently in her throat when the door opened, and in its place stood a man in his late thirties, with dark brown eyes and black hair, a thin grey streak running through some of the few bangs that came over his face.

The second his eyes landed on the woman in front of him, he almost fainted. "…K-Kimiko? I-Is that really you?" he brought himself to ask. The woman nodded her head and quickly slid past him, making her own way into the room and walked over to the desk that sat in the middle of the room and carefully set the bundle onto the varnished wood. Once she was sure that it wouldn't roll off, she raised her shaky hands up to her hood and pulled it off, pinkish-red bangs falling down her back.

Kimiko looked over her shoulder to the man she'd always looked up to with perfectly formed, emerald green eyes, but they were red and puffy with tears, and soon her body turned fully to face him. Kimiko didn't even have time to speak before she was caught in a bone crushing hug, which she hesitantly returned. A few moments later, Master Eraqus pulled from the hug and held her shoulders firmly "Where've you been?" he asked worriedly, checking her face for any traces of scares.

"Master Eraqus…Kasai…H-He…" it was as if her words where caught in her throat and refused to be spoken, she couldn't bare to look into her old Master's eyes. Eraqus waited patiently for her to speak, but was only caught in another hug "I'm so sorry for running away, Master Eraqus…I really am!" she choked into his shirt, sobbing quietly to herself. "B-But, Kasai didn't come back, and when I found him…" her eyes trailed over her shoulder to the blanket that was on the table.

A sudden movement from the material caused Eraqus to gasp and looked down at the girl before him, she was so broken, a mess, but he didn't care. He'd taken the poor girl in when she need him most, and he sure as hell wouldn't leave Kimiko like this, like a broken doll. "…I understand," he said in a soothing voice and gently rubbed her back "You can stay here as long as you need to, and-"

"But I can't stay. That's what ripping me apart!" she snapped and pushed herself away from him and brushed past him towards the exit, stopping inches away from the still open door, "There's something that I have to do. Something important, I just need you to watch her for a few months," Kimiko gazed over her shoulder and glanced at a shocked Eraqus with pleading eyes "Please."

Master Eraqus was frozen, he didn't know what to do, or say. She was leaving again? "P-Please don't make this any harder than it already is, Eraqus." She begged with a choked sob. Eraqus said nothing, only turned to the bundle on the desk and cautiously approached it, and with shaky fingers, pulled away at the blanket. There, laid what was possibly the most beautiful baby girl anyone could've ever possibly seen. She was wearing a white baby-grow with moons and stars on it, a few strands of chocolate brown hairs poked out of her tiny head, and her eyes…They were the exact replica of Kimiko's, perfectly formed with an amazing spark of emerald green.

Master Eraqus couldn't hold back the smile that was brought to his face as he looked at the baby, she was almost like a miniature clone of her mother, apart from the hair. Once the baby's jade eyes landed on him, she popped her index finger into her toothless mouth and began chewing on her finger and giggled up at him. Very carefully, Eraqus reached down and picked her up, placing her gently in his arms in a position she'd be comfortable with and rocked her back and forth.

"Kimiko," he sighed and brought his gaze up to meet his ex-pupil's "I understand that once your mind is made up, there's no changing it back. But couldn't I just take your place in whatever you have to do? You could take my place here if anything happened…and she wouldn't risk losing her mother." Eraqus said, gesturing to the baby that was now dozing off in his arms with a nod of his head.

Kimiko simply shook her head and left a few tears to fall from her chin that built up there. "I'm afraid not. You just have to watch her, keep her safe, I'll be home soon." With that she took another step closer to the exit, but Eraqus stopped her. "Kimiko!" he called, the woman turned fully to face him but kept her gaze to the floor. "What's her name?"

Her jade eyes rose, but landed on her baby and a smile reached her lips, but not her eyes, which were still clouded with tears and sadness. "Mai." She answered barely above a whisper before she hesitantly walked back over to them, and placed a soft kiss on her baby's forehead, who was now sleeping soundlessly "Her name is Mai."

Eraqus nodded with a smile before setting Mai back down onto her blanket and turned back to Kimiko. "Tell Kasai…I'm very happy for him, for you both…Promise you'll come home Kimiko, Mai can't lose you. You were an excellent apprentice, and I know that you'll be excellent in everything you do…I'm so proud of you."

Kimiko said nothing, simply nodded her head and turned on her heel before sprinting out of the room completely…

…But destiny can't be changed…


	2. Chapter 2: open the door

Author's note

DUDE! Second chap already, i'm so proud! VEN, DISCLAIMER, NOW!

Ventus: O.o *backs away.* O-Okay, XxKeyOfHeartxX does not own kingdom hearts, that includes me, thank god, Terra, Aqua, Master Eraqus or... *shudders* Vanitas.

Vanitas: *walks in through portal* What'd you say 'bout me?

VAN, not now. Anyway, enjoy everybody, and don't forget to review. *Accidentally on purpose hits Vanitas in the face*

Mai: Lol n.n

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><p><em>13 years later…<em>

"Hey, Where am I?" Mai asked the darkness that surrounded her everywhere she turned, it wasn't as though she was looking for an answer, she just thought she'd might as well try, is all.

"_Who's there?"_ another voice called suddenly, causing Mai to jump. It was a boy's voice, she could tell, but at the same time it was as though the voice wasn't even there. Mai's emerald gaze scanned the darkness for where the voice could've come from, but found nothing. It was a small glitter of light in the distance caught her attention; and Mai slowly made her way towards it. Once she was standing in front of it, she lifted a hand and reached out for the light and was suddenly engulfed by it.

The sudden brightness caused Mai to shield her eyes. But just as quick as it came, it was gone. Mai soon opened her eyes and dropped her arms to her side to looked at her surroundings. She seemed to be standing on some kind of white, circular platform, only half of it was missing. Mai raised a chocolate coloured brow at the missing piece and couldn't help but feel slightly empty as she looked at it.

"I'm a brand new heart." She felt herself saying, but she didn't even move her lips, it was as though…her heart was doing the talking for her. Mai gasped at the sudden shiver that ran through her spine, like someone had just walked through her, but no matter how hard she looked, Mai couldn't see anybody there other than herself.

"_But this is-…Why are you in my heart?" _ the boy asked, not a hint of emotion in his voice. Now that Mai thought about it, she wondered herself why she was there, in somebody's heart! But then she remembered the light that engulfed her just a few moments ago.

"The light brought me." This time she answered herself, not her heart. "I saw it shining in the distance…and followed it here."

"_Yeah, that was my light...But my heart is fractured."_ That brought Mai's attention right back to the missing chunk behind her, and couldn't help but walk towards it and inspected the edge thoughtfully _"And now…The little I have left is slipping away."_ That surely pulled a few strings in the female's chest.

"Then you should join your heart with mine." She said without a second thought, at that moment, it didn't dawn on her that she was giving away half of her heart, all that she cared about was that she was doing a good thing for someone, even if she never meets him in real life.

"_Huh?"_ Mai sighed 'Is this dude really that deaf?" she thought to herself and rubbed her temples gently before walking back to the centre of the platform. Instead of bothering to repeat herself, Mai simply opened her heart. It was a strange, yet…comfortable feeling, like she was being drained, but she didn't mind.

When the draining feeling stopped, she turned her attention back to the crack and smiled triumphantly, the platform was now a perfect circle and Mai couldn't help but throw a fist in the air with a toothy grin plastered on her face. "Now our hearts have touched." She chuckled softly and brought her hand back down to her side "Nothing else will slip away. And one day…you'll be strong enough to win back the part that already did."

"_Right. Thanks."_

"_It's time to wake up now."_

A whole different voice whispered softly, it felt like it was right in Mai's ear, but at the same time at the other end of the darkness. She sighed to herself; she was just starting to actually enjoy this dream as well. But, you can't exactly stop yourself from waking up, can you?

"_All we need to do is…"_

"Open the door."

"_Open the door."_

At their words, millions of white petals began to peel away at the platform, showing colours that were hiding underneath them. Mai was about to look down at the picture on the platform, but she was caught in a strong gaze with a set of cerulean eyes that were inches away from her own. The odd thing was, they had no pupils, but they still looked beautiful none-the-less, it was like staring out to the ocean that never seemed to end.

"_Thank you…"_

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><p>Mai jolted up into a sitting position from her new found spot on the floor, clutching a sky blue blanket close to her chest and scanned the room, her shoulders dropped. "Great." She muttered harshly to herself. She'd managed to roll out of bed. Again. After a few grumbles, Mai thought back to the dream she'd just had and couldn't help but smile, but she quickly cleared it away with a shake of her head and held a hand to her chest over where her heart was.<p>

"Did I really…? Nah. There's no way I'm that cheesy." Mai concluded. But, it did feel awfully real "Hm…" she thought to herself, placing her right index finger on her chin and placing her left hand on her elbow. Yep, that was her thinking position. "Who was that, anyway?" she asked herself.

It wasn't hard to tell that the first person in her dream was a boy, his voice was low and emotionless. But… 'Who did the second voice belong to?' Cursing to herself in mild frustration, Mai unrolled herself from the tangled blue sheets and stood to her feet to make her bed, her emerald eyes soon catching a black mug sitting on her bedside table. "Oh." Mai picked up the mug with both hands and inspected the left over hot chocolate and the bottom of the cup from last night "…I really have to stop drinking cocoa before bed. I knew that shit gave me weird dreams."

Mai simply shrugged it off and put the mug back on the table before walking over to her wardrobe and pulling out her usual attire. First came the grey, turtle-neck cat suit that had no sleeves and the legs ended at her mid-thigh. Next was her favourite crimson red, fighting styled kimono, it was V-necked and shoulder length with a split on the right side of the skirt that came up to her hip and ended just above her knees. Then it was the sashes that made an X over her chest, and covered the hem of the V-neck on the kimono, and the chunky black sash that wrapped around her waist with a red ribbon along the middle. Then was her favourite part. Mai picked up the Land of Departure emblem and clipped it to the red ribbon on her waist.

Mai inspected herself in the mirror that was hidden inside her wardrobe, and with a small nod of approval she walked over to her bedroom door, where she kept all of her shoes and pulled on her favourite black boots that laced all the way up to her knees before bolting out of her room…

…"_Crap!"_

Mai shot straight back into the room and picked up her sword that was leaning against the wall by her bed before leaving the room for good and made a bee-line for the kitchen.

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><p>Terra and Aqua stood in the kitchen, eating their breakfast – which just happened to be the usual for them. Toast - before they looked at the clock at the exact same time. 10:16… "Hey Terra?" the bluenette started, swallowing a piece of her toast.<p>

The aforementioned boy switched his gaze from the clock to the girl on the other side of the room with half a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth. "Hm?"

"Where's Ma-"

"I'M HERE!" Mai practically screamed as she burst through the kitchen door without warning and darted for the cupboards that held the breakfast. That sort of entrance would've usually startled someone…But these two were used to it. Let's face it, it's Mai and food, she entered the kitchen like this every morning. Terra slowly glanced over at the thirteen year old girl with his toast still hanging from his mouth before he looked over to Aqua and pointed to brunette childishly with muffled words that sounded like "There she is."

Mai simply ignored her 'brotherly' figure and continued to raid the cupboards before she pulled out a box of Cheerio's, and pulled out a bowl and milk from the fridge before mixing them all together. "…Say Aqua," Mai started, not turning from her cereal.

"What is it?" Aqua asked, placing her empty dish in the sink that she used to put her bread on, Terra did the same. Her sky blue eyes scanning over to her friend with an arched brow, Mai almost looked a little too distracted this morning and she didn't like it. "Mai?"

The brunette looked up from her bowl to her friend "Yeah?" she asked, oblivious to the fact that she'd started the conversation. Aqua stared at her in disbelief before she gestured towards the bowl of cereal in the girl's hands. "Eat that first." Mai gave the blue-haired girl a look before shrugging, and practically ate the whole bowl before you could say 'Moogle's have souls'.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Hey Aqua?"

"What?" Aqua sighed in slight annoyance and rubbed her temples tenderly, trying her hardest to ignore Terra as he sniggered behind her. Mai was always like this in the mornings, she forget everything that happened before she ate breakfast. Aqua was actually amazed that she even remembered where the kitchen was…Actually, she wasn't. Mai always seemed to sniff out food, heck, one time she even found a family bag of Chocolate Valentine from under Aqua's bed once, and Aqua didn't even know it was there! And her room was the tidiest of them all! She always kept her bed neat and nothing was ever left on the floor.

Mai got into her thinking pose and watched her dream from earlier play through her 'hollow' head. "Um, never mind." Mai shook her head with a reassuring smile before she placed her bowl in the sink and skipped out of the room, dragging Terra and Aqua by their wrists as she went.

'Those eyes…' she thought to herself. They were probably the best shade of blue she'd ever seen, even Terra and Aqua had blue eyes, but they didn't compare to his…Whoever he might be. 'I hope he aint just another figment of my imagination.' Mai's eyes clouded over with a hint of sadness at the thought, and her head lowered slightly, causing Terra and Aqua to exchange glances.

Mai was positive that he had to be real, she could never make up the blue in his eyes, she didn't have the ability. Sure, she had an amazing imagination, that often got her into trouble, but as far as she was concerned, that dream was far too realistic to just be made up.

"Mai? Are you okay?" Terra's voice rang through her ears. Said girl looked over her shoulder to her friend and nodded with a smile that only half reached her eyes "Yeah. Just thinkin'."

Mai finally let go of Terra and Aqua's wrists when they entered the grand hall. Three sets of eyes scanned the area in search of their Master. Well, in Mai's case, her father, but whatever. "…Where's Master Eraqus?" Aqua asked, only half expecting an answer when she saw that he was nowhere in sight. He was always there in the mornings, but why wasn't he there today?

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…DUCK!" Mai shouted and dragged Terra and Aqua to the floor by their forearms. While they crouched down, a swooshing sound came from above them, where their heads were only milliseconds ago. Three sets of eyes looked over their shoulders to see none other than Master Eraqus, his KeyBlade in hand, and he was holding it as through he'd just thrown an attack.

Mai, Terra, and Aqua stared at their Master with wide eyes, clouded with utter shock. All was silent until a chuckle emitted from Eraqus' throat. "Well done." He said before disarming his KeyBlade and strode past them and towards the three thrones that sat at the other side of the hall.

"…LOL!" Mai laughed and got to her feet. She was always the one to make any situation better, even if it already was a happy conversation. Her laughter soon caught on and Terra chuckled while Aqua simply giggled, and soon got to their feet before they followed in Eraqus' steps and stood in a formal line in front of the thrones with small smiles on their faces.

They waited for Eraqus to stand before straightening themselves up and gluing their arms to their sides. Master Eraqus eyed the three of them carefully and opened his mouth to speak "As you three know, the enemy will always be where you least expect them, and attack when you don't see it coming. Today your lesson will be to train your senses, hide from your opponent and attack. But be careful, you may be attacked while you stalk, so keep an eye out. Your training will take place outside," the three cheered silently "Off you go."

"Yeah." They murmured happily as they turned on their heels and started for the stairs that lead to the front door "Uh, Mai. Could you please stay behind," Master Eraqus called after them. The trio stopped and turned to face their Master before they exchanged their own glances.

"Go ahead. I'll catch up." Mai playfully shooed them away and watched them nod and leave the grand hall. A few moments later, Mai heard the front door dragging across the floor before it closed and finally turned back to her father. "What is it, dad?" she asked, trying her best to act innocent…But that didn't work out too well.

Eraqus sighed and rubbed his temples as Mai slowly made her way over to him "Mai…" he grumbled, looking down at her bare arms "Where are your arm guards?" he asked patiently, although he could feel it wearing thin. Mai mumbled under her breath, she hated wearing those arm guards, they were more like over-sized sleeves that took up her whole arm and always got in the way.

"But dad…"

"No buts, Mai. I've told you far too many times before, you only have the smallest of uniforms. The sashes over your chest, you have no problem with them. The Land of Departure badge that's on your waist. And the arm guards…I understand that you don't like them, but Terra and Aqua have to wear them, and so do you."

"Aww." Mai slouched over in defeat "Alright, alright. I'll go get the stupid arm guards." She mumbled and dragged herself to the hallway that lead to the bedrooms "And Mai," she glanced over her shoulder to look at her father "I hate to do this, but if I see you without the arm guards – during training – again…I'm afraid that you'll have to train indoors while Terra and Aqua get to train outside."

Mai let out another grumble, but nodded none the less and left the grand hall, a small "'Kay." echoing after her.

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><p>Terra stepped as lightly, and carefully as he could through the forest. He knew Aqua was around here somewhere, he just had to make sure that he found her before she found him. With his KeyBlade, Earthshaker, in his grasp, Terra leaned against the trunk of a tree and slid his eyes closed, allowing his ears to take over.<p>

The slight rustle of leaves caused the brunette to open his eyes and smirk. His head tilting slightly to the tree behind him 'This is way too easy.' He thought proudly to himself, and in one quick motion, Terra flung himself around the tree and swung his KeyBlade. His smirk only got wider when he heard his Blade hit something hard, most probably Aqua's own KeyBlade, Rainfell.

"You're not gonna win, Aqua." He called and moved to pull his KeyBlade back, only to find that it wouldn't budge "Wha…?" he tried again. It wouldn't move. Now completely confused, Terra poked his head around the tree and grumbled.

…His KeyBlade was stuck in the tree…

"You're kidding me." He mumbled and gripped the handle as tight as he could, he brought his left foot up to the trunk and pushed himself away from the tree, but it still wouldn't move. If only he was paying more attention to his surroundings, Terra would've noticed somebody hanging from a branch right above him, upside down, watching the back of his head with a smirk.

"C'mon." Terra pleaded his weapon, causing the person behind him to snicker mentally. And as quietly as they could, they climbed down from the branch and got ready to pounce.

"C'mon."

"…"

"Ahh."

"…"

"…What the-?"

"SURPRISE HUG!"

* * *

><p>Aqua's ears perked up at the sound of Terra's 'manly' scream, and Mai's maniacal laughter… "This is gonna be a <em>long <em>day_."_

* * *

><p><em><span>3 hours later.<span>_

Master Eraqus watched from the courtyard as his pupils walked out of the forest with a few cuts and bruises over their bodies. Despite Mai being covered in the most injuries, she still had a grin playing on her rosy lips.

"So…Master Eraqus got you to wear your arm guards, huh?" Aqua asked, her sky blue eyes trailing down to Mai's arms, they were the same as hers. Sleeves that weren't attached to her garments, they were tight around her mid-upper arm, and got wider up to her hand that were covered in black, finger less gloves. While the material was the same crimson red as her kimono, the top of it was black with a red button for her to change into her armour, and four squares of black metal running down the sleeve from the button.

"Yeah." Mai sighed and raised her arm to inspect the garment, a small scowl was placed on her once happy face. "I really don't see why you hate them so much, Mai." Terra said from the girl's left. "We all have to wear them one way or another." He gestured to his own arm guard that was more like armour than a sleeve that ran all down his left arm.

"I guess…" Mai dropped her head, now with a rain cloud hanging over her head as the three of them entered the courtyard. Once they reached Master Eraqus, they stood formally in a line.

Eraqus looked each of his pupils over before nodding "Congratulations, my pupils. You've successfully completed the task, although I do find Mai's method of 'surprise hugs' rather unusual." He said with a raised brow aimed at his 'daughter'. Terra and Aqua exchanged a quick glance.

"Master, Mai's method may be unusual. But I can assure you it's rather…Vicious." Aqua concluded. Aqua's words brought a smile to the young girl's face and looked up to meet everyone's eyes.

"You bet it is!" Mai giggled and pumped a fist in the air with the cheesiest of grins. Eraqus smiled down at her and shook his head "Very well then. It appears that the three of you have finished your training early today. You're free to do as you wish." And with that, he started up the stairs, but stopped and looked over his shoulder at the trio "You did well." And with that, he disappeared into the castle.

"…I want some cheese." Mai muttered before she followed her father's steps and into the castle towards the kitchen. Terra and Aqua looked after the retreating girl before exchanging glances and shrugging. "Wanna just chill in the grand hall?" Terra asked and Aqua nodded. The two walked up the stairs and made their way to the grand hall, where they talked about Mai's 'methods'.

* * *

><p><em><span>Half an hour later.<span>_

"…and I wanna help people, keep them believing, y'know." Aqua finished. Her and Terra had been talking about what they want to do when they finally leave Land of Departure and explore the worlds. Terra nodded, and as if on cue, Mai came back into grand hall a Chocolate Valentine cookie in one hand, and a mug of hot chocolate in the other. Aqua and Terra raised a brow as they watched her run over to the balcony that over looked the front door and looked down, as if waiting for it to open.

"Mai?" Aqua called, getting to her feet from her pretzel-styled sitting position on the floor, Terra did the same. "Hm?" Mai asked through a mouth full of cookie, not turning her attention away from the door.

"Did you heal yourself?" Aqua was always worried about Mai if she ever got hurt after training, and she could see that all of Mai's cuts and bruises were gone. That girl always managed to get herself hurt, she even managed to break her wrist from making toast before…How? No one will ever know. And after that incident, Aqua took it into her own hands to teach Mai a few spells, including cure.

"Yeah." Mai nodded, although she seemed a little distracted by the door and a small frown was forming on her face.

"What're you looking for?" Terra asked and walked a few steps closer to her. Mai finally broke her emerald gaze away from the door and looked over her shoulder, the frown still on her face. "When I was in the kitchen, I saw something weird through the window and saw two people on the summit. They were heading this way."

Terra and Aqua exchanged a small glance before walking over the balcony to see the door, but it didn't open. "Are you sure?" Terra wondered. Mai simply shot a small glare at him, causing the young man to flinch "Yes, I'm sure. I'm not crazy!"

Aqua was about to say something in Terra's defence, but Mai had turned on her heel and started for the stairs that lead to the door. "I'll prove it!" her shout echoed through the hall and down the corridors, causing Master Eraqus to look up from the paperwork he was doing in his study, but when he was greeted with silence, he simply shrugged it off and went back to work.

Terra and Aqua waited for a few moments before Mai reappeared below them, walking over to the door and throwing the last chunk of her cookie into her mouth and swallowed it down with her cocoa.

The duo on the balcony watched with arched brows as Mai dragged the door open. She kept a firm hand on the door handle and pulled as hard as she could on the heavy door, it was usually a lot easier to open it because she used both hands, but her other hand was busy holding her mug.

Once the door was open, Mai let her hand drop to her side and glanced outside "Gah!" she squeaked and almost dropped her hot drink. She wasn't expecting to see anybody in the doorway, let alone a creepy looking old man, he was bold on the top of his head with a small, white goatee on his chin, his eyes were a sickly yellow, flashing with something Mai didn't like, causing her to shiver. "Uh…"

"Oh, why thank you." The old man spoke in a crooked voice, which didn't help Mai's shudder at all. She stood there for a while before she actually came to her senses and realised that the man wanted to come in "O-Oh, you're welcome?" Mai said more like a question, which she immediately mentally kicked herself for. She stood to the side and let the man pass and held back a gasp.

Behind the old man, was a young boy about Mai's age, his hair was a sun-kissed, honey blonde and spiked upwards in a side swept motion. Mai's emerald gaze watched the boy as he walked past her before she shut the door and looked over her shoulder to see Terra and Aqua glancing down at her with wide eyes.

'I don't know.' She mouthed up to them with a shrug of her shoulders and switched her gaze down to the old man to see him talking with Eraqus 'Huh? When did he get here?' Mai thought to herself.

Her attention was soon back on the boy when she heard him sigh and walked in front of him "Um…Hi." She waved awkwardly to him. She seemed to catch his attention because he lifted his head slightly, but not enough for her to see his face. "I'm Mai. What's your name?"

Mai watched as his shoulders lifted slightly as he inhaled, ready to say something before he was cut off "Mai!" she looked over her shoulder to see Master Eraqus waving her over, a slightly panicked expression on his face. She turned back to the boy with a slightly sad expression "Sorry, I have to go." Mai placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and a sudden warmth flowed through her, but she just ignored it "Hey, try to lighten up kiddo. This place runs on happy faces." Mai brought a smile to her face.

The boy didn't react to her, only tensed the shoulder Mai was holding "I'll catch ya later," and with that, she turned on her heel and jogged over to her father and the old man "What's up, dad?" she asked.

Eraqus sighed and gestured up the stairs that lead to the grand hall. "My study." Was all he said before he and the old man started up the stairs, leaving Mai with a confused expression. "What the…?" she pondered before giving one last glance to the boy. Her heart seemed to race when she caught his ocean blue gaze, his face was so soft and innocent that it seemed almost angelic, his eyes were a different story, as beautiful as they were, they were sad. It showed on his face.

"Mai!" Eraqus called after her when he noticed that she was still standing at the foot of the steps "C-Coming!" Mai called back, hesitating to break away from his gaze and spring up the stairs and follow Master Eraqus and the man to his study.

* * *

><p><em><span>3 minutes later.<span>_

Mai followed her father into the study, followed by the creepy old man and let him pass by her and stood in the open doorway. Everything was painfully silent as Eraqus walked behind his desk and took a seat in his chair while the old man stood in the corner of the room. "...What's going on?" she finally asked, the silence was absolutely killing her.

"Mai…" Eraqus trailed off, refusing to look up at her. "This is Master Xehanort. He's an old friend of mine." He said, gesturing to the man in the corner. Mai switched her gaze to Master Xehanort and nodded a 'hello'. Xehanort returned the gesture. "Well, why is he here, and why did he bring that boy?" Mai asked as politely as she could.

"That boy is named Ventus." Master Xehanort spoke up in his crooked voice "I've brought him here to train under Master Eraqus." Mai nodded in understanding, but still couldn't understand why her father was acting so distraught. "…Dad, what's wrong with Ventus staying here?" she asked, hoping that was all that was wrong with him. But it wasn't.

"Mai…There's something I've been meaning to tell you," Eraqus started, only now bringing his gaze up to the young girl. Mai's heart seemed to pump in her ears and she hesitantly swallowed the lump that formed in her throat "Thirteen years ago, your mother, Kimiko, arrived with you in her arms. She asked me to take care of you until she came back…But she never did." Eraqus' voice wavered slightly. "Xehanort says that he was there when-…Well, he tried to help her as much as he could."

A chilling silence past through the whole room, Mai was completely frozen. She couldn't say a word, she didn't know how. Her so called 'father' had lied to her all these years? A single tear rolled down Mai's cheeks and finally released the breath she'd only just realised she was holding.

"I'm very sorry, Mai." Xehanort's voice broke the silence, but Mai barely heard it through the pounding in her ears "Kimiko's last words were for me to tell you that she never wished to leave you. That was, if I ever got the privileged to meet you." He said.

Mai still didn't move. She barely even breathed "…Why didn't tell me?" her voice was barely above a whisper and small sob escaped her throat, causing Eraqus to jump from his seat and he made his way over to her. Mai looked up at him slowly "Y-You're not my…D-D-Dad?" her voice cracked violently, but she didn't care. Her emerald eyes were glazed over with tears, making them look glassy. She looked up at Master Eraqus in disbelief and saw him solemnly shake his head.

"…" Everything was completely silent, Mai had nothing to say. So instead she stepped back and into the corridor, but when she saw Eraqus step after her, she shook her head violently and darted down the corridors towards her room. All sorts of thoughts were running through her head by this point, like who was her real mum and dad, were they still alive? No, of coarse not. Eraqus said that Xehanort did all that he could to save her life - wait! Master Xehanort only mentioned her mum, so that must mean that her dad was still alive...Right?

"Oh, what's the point?" Mai yelled to herself and practically threw herself into her room and shut the door behind her. She leaned her shaking form against the wood and let herself slide to the floor. If she thought that hearing the news was bad, then it felt ten thousand times worse when it actually sunk in. Her parents were dead, and her so called 'father' never told her! Instead he just let her grow up with a lie that she treasured. A sigh of frustration came from Mai's lips, she should've seen it! She looked nothing like Master Eraqus in anyway, she couldn't even wield a KEYBLADE, and that was what Eraqus' most prized possessions.

"I'm so stupid for not seeing it before." Mai hissed to herself and brought her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her legs and let her tears flow without a sound. She sat there, alone and quiet for what seemed like hours before a thought finally struck her, and her blurry emerald eyes looked up to the desk to her right. Sitting there, was a few pieces of paper and some colouring pencils. Mai had never been that good of a drawer, but she loved it when she was a little girl so decided to keep them. When ever she was sad, or had the flu, she remembered picking up a pencil and drawing, it always made her happy and feel a lot better.

Mai shakily rose to her feet and stumbled over to the desk and picked up the paper and pencils before she walked over to her bed and practically dropped onto it. She picked up a peach coloured pencil and let it guide her hand as it made it's own movements on the crystal white paper.

* * *

><p><em><span>Meanwhile...<span>_

Terra walked down the steps that lead to the front door and saw the blonde boy still standing there. He looked lost, and really lonely. 'Maybe he wants a friend.' he thought to himself before he made his way towards the boy, stopping only a foot or two in front of him and lifted a hand to wave, but soon decided against it and dropped it back by his side. "I'm Terra." he said instead and gestured to himself "What's your name?"

The boy stood there for a moment before he looked up slightly to meet Terra's gaze under his blonde bangs "Ventus." his innocent voice was dripping with emptiness. Terra sighed in relief and rubbed his temples "Whew, you can talk." a small hint of amusement was playing in the older man's voice before he looked over his shoulder to see Aqua watching everything from her spot on the balcony "Aqua, c'mere!" he called up to her.

Aqua smiled and walked away from his sight, only to reappear at the foot of the stairs and jogged over to the two, she wasted no time with introductions "Hi, my name is Aqua." she said politely. Ventus raised his head to look at the two "Terra...Aqua...Mai..." the last name was spoken more like a question as he looked between the two, to the stairs where they'd just came from, and where Mai left earlier. In truth, he wanted to see her eyes again, they were a rare shade of emerald green, one that felt strangely familiar. But Ventus just couldn't seem to place his finger on it.

"Oh, Mai'll be back soon. She's just having a word with her dad at the moment." Aqua answered his silent question and watched with a raised brow as Ventus dropped his gaze again. She exchanged a strange glance with Terra before looking back to the blonde. "So, are you here to train with us?" Terra asked "Who was that man with you? Are you any good with a KeyBlade.?"

Terra's questions caused Ventus to wince at the sharp pain in his head. Soon the pain grew too much and the poor boy fell to his knees with a cry of agony, clutching his temples and pulling a few of his hairs out. "Woah, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Aqua asked worriedly as she knelt down in front of the boy and placed her hands on his shoulders in attempt to keep him steady, but when she saw his eyes fluttering closed she let him fall, but Aqua briskly caught him before he hit the floor.

"What did you do?" both students turned their heads to the steps to see Master Eraqus and Master Xehanort standing there. At the sight of Ventus sleeping in Aqua's arms, Xehanort walked over to them and took the boy from her. Terra looked from his Master, to Ventus, and back with a panicked expression on his face "N-Nothing, I just asked him some stuff." he said quickly, Terra wasn't looking to get in trouble just for being curious. Eraqus sighed and walked over to his pupils as Aqua got to her feet.

"Ventus cannot tell you anything...Because he cannot remember anything."

* * *

><p>"Finished," Mai muttered under her breath and held up the finished picture, it was really scruffy, and out of line...But it made her feel a lot better. Mai liked the feeling that she got from staring at the picture. It was <em>supposed<em> to be her, Terra, Aqua, and another boy who was just a big blur of black and white, his head was a spiky ball of yellow with two, bright blue circles for eyes. It definitely sucked, that was for sure, but if she kept drawing, she knew she'd get better so she left it at that. "I _really_ need to work on my dra - ow..." Mai winced in pain and raised a hand to her temple to gently rub the spot at the back of her head where she felt a small throbbing pain erupt.

A loud gasp escaped Mai's lips as the pain grew, she dropped the picture that was in her other hand and placed it on the other side of her head. "Ah..." she hissed in pain as it only got worse and she tried her best not to cry out in agony. But after what felt like hours of complete torture, a heart wrenching yell came from her throat. The pain only seemed to get worse, and by now Mai's eyes were clenched shut with tears prickling in the corners as she laid back on her bed.

A sudden hand on her forehead caused Mai's eyes to snap open and she sighed in relief as the pain subsided. She couldn't see straight at the moment, thanks to the tears that blurred her vision, but when they came into focus she gasped in shock. Above her, was a boy about her age leaning over her bed and looking down at her with amber coloured eyes, his firm face was framed with ebony black bangs that spiked in every direction possible. Mai jolted up into a sitting position, expecting the boy to move back, but he didn't, which caused Mai to almost head-butt him.

Her emerald eyes locked with gold that were inches away from her own "Wh-Who are you?" she asked slightly panicked that there was a random boy in her room. The boy didn't respond with his name, only pulled himself off the bed and straightened himself up "Wanna get away from this hell hole for a while?" he asked in a low, velvety-like voice that seemed to send shivers down Mai's spine, a smirk played on the boy's lips when he saw her shudder.

"What?" she asked in disbelief. This boy was now seriously starting to creep her out, and he simply rolled his eyes and leaned back down in front of her again so that their faces were inches away "I said," his breath brushed against Mai's lips, causing her to pull her face away from him and head-butt the wall her bed was pressed against. the boy chuckled and continued with what he was saying "D'you wanna get away from this hell hole for a while?" he asked again, and his smirk only got wider when he saw the sparkle of interest in Mai's eyes.

"What, y'mean...Go to another world or something?" she clarified, and the boy nodded. Mai got into her thinking pose 'It would be nice to get away from this lie,' she thought bitterly, and a scowl formed on her face. 'But who is this guy, anyway?' "...Okay." she anwered with a nod of her head and looked up to meet his gaze "But, who are you, and how did you get in here?" Mai asked firmly with a small frown on her face. The boy sighed in exasperation at her questions before turned on his heel so that his back was facing her and outstretched his arm.

Mai gasped when she saw the darkness shoot from his hand and form into a portal-like thing in the middle of her bedroom "Cool," Mai muttered under her breath as she stared at it in complete awe before she shook the thoughts from her head and turned back to the raven-haired boy "Well that only answers one of my questions. Who. Are . You?" Mai asked _yet _again. This dude was really starting give her a headache. The boy sighed and looked back over to her "Are you coming or not?"

Mai pondered for a moment before hesitantly nodding, the boy smirked as he watched her stand from her bed and walk over to his side with a sky blue blanket clutched close to her chest. He gave Mai a strange glance before shaking his head and gesturing for her to go first "Ladies first." he teased. Mai turned to glare at him slightly before taking a deep breath "Okay." her voice was slightly shaky, but she held her chin high and walked up to the portal, only stopping when she was half way through it to look over her shoulder to see the boy still standing there "Well, c'mon then. I don't know where this thing leads."

The golden eyed boy chuckled before nodding and walking up to her and placed a black and red gloved hand on her shoulder "Just hurry up." he said and playfully pushed her further into the portal. Once Mai was completely engulfed in the darkness, the boy's golden eyes scanned the room before he walked into the portal, chuckling while he went.

"Suckers."


	3. Chapter 3: the new boy, and a new family

Chapter 3: A new world.

**Author's note:**

Hey, I've been thinking of something for me to do for these author's notes, because quite frankly I wouldn't want to have something on my stories that's just a waste, so if you have any ideas, no matter how silly you think they are, just let me know, I like to here from you guys any, thanks X].

Anyway, If you haven't already figured out who that boy is, then sorry but I ain't tellin', my lips are sealed n.n but I just thought that I'd let you know that he isn't wearing his actual attire as in bbs, instead he's wearing Sora's outfit from KH2, only all the straps and things are crimson red, so he's just really sticking to his colour scheme, black and red. Well, sorry if you find this Author's note a waste of time, but thanks for reading, so let's carry on with the story.

* * *

><p>"Where are we going?" Mai flinched when her voice echoed through the darkness, clutching her blanket closer to her chest, she advanced onwards through the pitch black. "Just keep going forward!" the boy's voice called out a few yards behind her from when he entered the portal a few minutes after her. "Hm, okay." She mused to herself and kept going.<p>

The slow walk was starting to grow agonisingly quiet and Mai was starting to feel uncomfortable, so she decided to say something, anything. "Y'know, I had a dream a bit like this last night." was what came out, and she instantly slapped a hand to her forehead. 'Oh yeah, like he's gonna wanna talk about-

"Really? What was it about?"

that. Wait, what?' Mai almost tripped over her own feet when she heard his reply. "Y-Yeah. I'm not really sure what it was about but, I think I shared my…heart with someone." A thoughtful look reached Mai's face and she brought a finger to her lips for her infamous 'thinking pose'. A cold laugh came from right behind her, she noticed that while she was thinking she stopped walking, and spun around to meet the boy's golden gaze. A smirk was on his lips and reached a hand out to rest on Mai's shoulder.

"So you're telling me that you had a dream that you shared your heart with someone…And you actually think it happened in _real life_?" his voice was dripping with amusement and it was clear as day that he was mocking her. Mai roughly shook his hand away and turned on her heel before walking back through the endless darkness.

"Well, no, but it could've happened. You never really know the power of dreams." she said to herself and continued to walk until she bumped into something, causing her to look up, only to see him in front of her again. He held her chin between his index finger and thumb and trapped her gaze "And you think you do?" he asked with a mockingly surprised look on his face.

Mai squinted her eyes when the darkness faded away in ripples and a sudden light replaced it, and kept her mouth shut. "Mai, not even the _heart_ knows how powerful dreams can be." she gasped at his words. "How d'you know my name?" she asked firmly and felt a frown tugging at the corners of her lips. The raven haired boy let his head fall back with a laugh before he looked back down at her.

"Just follow me and stop asking questions." He smirked and let her loose before turning to walk away from her. Mai stared around in disbelief, she was actually in a new world! It looked as though she was in a sort of outside garden, there were fountains around the outskirts and in the center of the garden, the whole area was concrete with great big patches of flowers spotted around everywhere, and about a few yards in front of her was a massive gate to what seemed like a town. Mai was so caught up in her surroundings that she didn't notice the boy at the gates.

"HEY! HURRY UP!" he called out to her. Mai snapped out of her thoughts with a shake of her head and was off like a bullet towards him. "W-We're actually in another world!" she screamed in excitement when she reached him, panting slightly from the super speed run and started to bounce up and down.

The raven haired boy gave her a look before rolling his eyes and dragged her through the gate by her upper arm. "Look, just act normal and try not to talk to anybody." he said firmly and kept his gaze on the stairs ahead that they were walking up. Mai nodded spastically and let him lead her, but she came to a sudden stop when something dawned on her, and her sudden action caused him to stop as well and turn to look at her.

"What?"

Mai looked up at him with a thoughtful look "I just realised something…" the boy gave her a look to tell her to continue "You know my name, but I _still_ don't know yours." She said, slightly irritated. The boy sighed in exasperation and let go of her arm, letting her slowly walk up the stairs beside him "Just call me what you want." He shrugged.

Mai nodded and got into her thinking pose just as they came into the town center, lined with houses and opposite them, on the other side of the square was a small gate that lead up to a gigantic castle, in the center of the square there were four ramps that went down into another level about two feet. A long silence past through the two as Mai continued to ponder.

"Well…" she started "Don't take this in offence, but I can feel darkness around you,"

He nodded "None taken"

"So how about…Kurayami? Kura for short, of course." Mai suggested. He seemed to think about it for a while before smirking down at her "Works for me." He said with a small grin. Mai squealed in delight and began skipping off through the square, causing Kura sweat dropped "I told you to act normal." He muttered under his breath.

Mai looked over her shoulder as she skipped and waved her blue blanket in the air "For me this is normal!" she shouted and a laugh followed after. Kurayami groaned and hesitantly followed after her, dragging himself across the floor as he went, "This is gonna be a very long day."

* * *

><p><em><span>A few moments later…<span>_

Mai was a bit tired of skipping by now and decided to walk alongside Kura as they explored the town "Hey Mai?" his voice reached her ears as they walked in the market street, there were a few stalls spotted around here and there and few open shops, one of them with a none holographic Moogle. Mai gasped at the creature and tapped Kurayami's shoulder, causing him to look at her and she pointed over at it "I always wondered where the original one was." She said, earning her a sweat drop.

"Mai…" he started, getting the girl's attention away from the Moogle "Hm?" she looked at him with thin lips and raised brows, it wasn't an irritated face…It was just a face, really. "There's a reason that I wanted to get you away from Land of Departure." he answered and switched his gaze away from her.

Mai had to think back on the day for a while before a sudden frown tugged at her lips and she cast her own gaze to her booted feet, the grip on the blanket tightening as she remembered the look on Master Eraqus' face. "Oh, that." She muttered under her breath.

Kurayami nodded his head "Yeah, I just thought that you'd like to get it off your chest." Mai stared at nothing in particular and nodded her head "Thanks. That'd be nice." She let Kura lead her over to a low wall and sat down.

"So, you really never knew?" he asked. Mai simply shook her head when a sudden wind waved through them, sending her hair flying and a few goose bumps on her exposed skin which would be her knees and upper arms. "Wow." Kura stared wide eyed at her for a moment.

"So, what did it feel like? To know that he lied to you all of these years, I mean?" at his words, a small flicker of anger flashed in Mai's emerald orbs, but quickly left while she thought about it, but even just thinking about it was enough to cause a dull ache in her chest.

"Betrayed, I guess." She came out with. It wasn't a lie though, she felt lonely, if that even makes sense. But she just felt like it was all a lie, everything that she believed in was fake. A small tear rolling down her cheek caught Mai off guard, and she instantly wiped it away with the back of her hand.

"Betrayed? That's it? You're not angry at him for lying to you for all those years?" Kura asked in disbelief. The spark in Mai's eyes flickered again, but went out. "Well, yeah I guess. But Terra and Aqua are orphans; they didn't even have parents to start with. So I guess that'll help me to fit in more." A dry chuckle emitted from Mai's lips as a few more tears began to build up in her eyes, giving them a glassy layer.

Kurayami sighed and shifted his golden gaze to his feet "Orphan or not. If I were you, I'd never forgive that man, everybody has a right to know the truth about themselves, but he just kept it locked away from you and dropped the bomb all of a sudden. Let's face it, all he deserves in return is your hatred," a smirk played on his lips when he caught sight of a scowl on Mai's face from the corner of his eye, and it didn't go away "and you should make him feel as guilty as he should be."

Mai switched her gaze from the floor, to the side of Kura's head, by now the smirk was gone and she didn't catch any sight of it "…You're right." She said barely above a whisper and wiped away the tears that stained her cheeks "That _liar_!" she spat, venom dripping in her voice "He thought that he was protecting me, when all he did was leave me with a whole in my heart that I can't fill. That…That…"

"I know." He said softly and placed a hand on her shoulder and looked up at her. "Just save all that emotion for when you get back home." Something was playing in Kura's voice, but Mai couldn't seem to figure out what it was, so she decided to ignore it and nodded her head, clutching the blue blanket closer to her chest.

He smiled reassuringly at her before standing up and reaching out a gloved hand for Mai, who took it with ease and followed him through the town.

* * *

><p><em><span>3 hours later…<span>_

The light in the sky was growing dim as the sun began to drop, casting a calm orange glow on the buildings and the sky was a chorus of oranges, pinks, reds, and yellows. Mai and Kurayami just finished exploring the town and were now on their way back to the Outer Gardens, but on their way through the square, Mai noticed two boys that they'd past quite a few times.

"Just walk past them." Kura said quietly from her side, she nodded and kept walking with her head held high until they passed by the duo, just when they were about to walk down the stairs that lead to their destination, a voice called after them. "Hey, you two!"

Kura groaned in annoyance and leaned down to Mai's ear "Stay here." He whispered, the brunette nodded and watched as he turned on his heel and took a few steps closer to them "What do you want?" he asked firmly. One of the boys, the one with spiky red hair and luminous green eyes, raised a brow at the dark boy's attitude and took a few steps towards him.

"Dude, wasn't askin' for trouble. I was just gonna ask you some stuff." He said and crossed his arms over his chest as if to make himself seem innocent. Kura growled under his breath and shared a quick glance with Mai to see her not even paying attention, causing him to sigh "Fine, but make it fast." he said, not even giving the boy a glance.

"First of all," the red head started, and Kurayami finally switched his attention back to him "What're your names?" Kurayami groaned, he wasn't hoping to speak to anybody here, let alone tell everyone their names, but if he was going to bring Mai here more often then they might as well meet some new people. He opened his mouth to speak but it wasn't his voice that answered.

"I'm Mai, and that's Kurayami."

"Mai..." he muttered gakrly and looked over his shoulder to glare at Mai. She shrugged "What? You said to stay here, and I'm still standing here, aren't I?" a smirk worked it's way to her lips at her cockiness, causing the red head to chuckle "Girl's gotta point." Kura turned to glare at him.

"Well, what're your names?" he called out to them. The red head only grinned more and gestured to his blue haired friend beside him "That's Isa, and I'm Lea." He answered proudly, pointing a thumb to himself when he said his own name before he looked back over to Kurayami and frowned "How come we aint seen you two around before?"

Kura tensed at Lea's words, and Mai noticed, "Kura?" she stage whisperd to him, although it was no use seeing as Lea and Isa could here her anyway. Kura looked back over to her with a knowing look in his eye "Mai, you're crazy enough to get away with anything. Now get us outta this." It took a moment for his words to sink in before a cheesy grin spread across her face and she whipped out the blue blanket that was tucked into her black belt.

"With pleasure." she whispered properly when she walked past him and made her way over to the two boys and stood a foot or two away from them. Lea and Isa exchanged a confused glance and Mai took this as an opportunity to get something out of her pocket "Run, run away!" she yelled and threw the smoke bombs at the floor, creating a cloud of smoke.

She felt Kura grab her arm and let him take her out to the Outer Gardens. When the smoke cleared, Lea and Isa were left completely dumbfounded, confused, and coughing. "What was that all about?" Isa asked, Lea simply shrugged as if nothing had happened and walked away "Simple. Girl's on crack."

Mai and Kura couldn't hold back the childish laughs as they ran away from the boys, but once they were there Mai only had one thought circling around in her mind. Without thought she got into her thinking pose "Um, Kura?"

"Yeah?" he answered without looking at her, instead he was checking that there was nobody around before he summoned a portal to take Mai home. "…Why couldn't Lea and Isa know where we're from?" she asked thoughtfully. Kurayami sighed and started towards the portal, only stopping when he was halfway through it before he looked over his shoulder to see her.

"Mai, you're not even supposed to leave your world, and the only reason that you know about other worlds is because you've grown up with that knowledge. But there are rules that you have to stick to." He said, Mai nodded her head showing him that she understood. "You can't let anybody else know that there are other worlds out there, it'll upset the balance…Now c'mon, we have to get back before somebody figures out that you're gone."

Mai heaved a heavy sigh and dropped her head "Okay." She pouted and wrapped herself in the blanket before following Kura into the portal and she was surrounded by darkness once again, but within a few steps she stopped cold and felt her blood begin to boil. It took Kura a while to realise that she wasn't following him and turned to see her.

"Mai?" he made his way over to her and raised her chin to see her face. He bit back a smirk when he saw the rage practically dancing in her emerald orbs. "Remember, all that Master Eraqus deserves is your hatred." He said quietly and reassuringly. Mai slowly nodded before pulling out of his grasp and started walking ahead of him.

The whole walk was silent, not even their steps could be heard. But when they reached the light and they were back in Mai's room, she released a breath that she didn't even realize she was holding. The evening sun was shining through the window, casting an orangy glow on her white walls, she turned back to Kura to see him standing in front of the portal they just came out of.

"Um, thanks. Kurayami." She muttered before she dropped her blanket onto her bed and glanced around the room. It was a basic four wall room, three of them were white, and the one her bed was pressed against was black, and that hapenned to be the window side of the room, opposite the door to the hallway, just as you come into the room, there was a desk to the right, and at the foot of the bed was a black wardrobe, the was a basic bedside table and on the other side of the room was a door that lead to the private bathroom, everybody had one. "I guess I didn't realise how much I needed to get away." Kura chuckled dryly, causing Mai to cast her emerald orbs on him with a raised brow "What?"

"Nothing," he shook his head before turning his back to her "Just-…If you ever need to get away from here, let me now." He said before walking back towards the portal. Mai reached out a hand for him "Wait, Kura!"

At the sound of his 'name', he looked over his shoulder with a raised brow. "H-How'll I let you know if I don't even know where you are?" she asked. She had a point, Kura had to admit that, but he simply gestured to her bed and walked into the portal, his words seeming to echo around the room "Just draw a picture."

Mai stared at the empty space with wide eyes before they finally landed on the paper and pencils that were still on her bed behind her. Yep, she was definitely going to draw more often, and a smile reached her lips as she picked up the picture and tucked it away under her bed before putting the pencils back onto her dark wooden desk.

The smile on her face quickly faded, though, when she caught sight of an old picture and felt her blood beginning to boil all over again. It was from back when she was five or six and Aqua had first started teaching her how to draw, it was barely able to make out, but Mai could tell what it was straight away. It was her as a little girl, Master Eraqus, and the teenaged versions of Terra and Aqua, on the summit holding hands.

The brunette wasted no time before she ripped the drawing apart, growling in anger as she did and made her way over to her window and slammed it open before. Mai threw the pieces of paper outside and watched them fly down to the ground with a snarl "Good riddance." She muttered under her breath and laid back down onto her bed.

Mai must've been there for about an hour or so, her white curtains flapping gently in the wind that flowed through her window and dried her wet face. She'd been crying, but she wasn't sad, it was just something that she did when she was angry. She hated it though, it always made her look weak, unable to do anything for herself. All her life she'd been babied, known as the sweet and innocent one, never hurt a fly was what they always said. Well now it was time for a change, she was still going to be the same Mai, but with just a little more…_attitude_.

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard a knocking on her door, and she smirked to herself, it was the perfect opportunity to put the new Mai into action. "Keep walkin'!" she shouted. Okay, she had to admit that she'd need to give herself time to come up with better things to say, but that was all that she could think of at the moment.

The person on the other side of the door simply ignored her and opened the door anyway, causing Mai to groan and roll onto her back with her hands behind her head. "…Mai." She choked on her own breath when she heard the voice, and a snarl tugged at her lips.

"What do you want?" she snapped, still with her gaze on the low ceiling. Master Eraqus heaved a heavy sigh and walked into the room, leaving the door open behind him. "I came to ask for…"

"What, my forgiveness?" Mai asked in disbelief and pushed herself up into a sitting position, glaring daggers into his face "All you deserve is my anger! You lied to me all these years, and you think you can just drop a bomb on me like _that _and I'd still call you 'dad'?" she screamed. Eraqus switched his gaze to the floor with guilty eyes. Mai bit back the sobs that built up in her throat, the anger becoming too much for her and causing more angry tears to form over her eyes, making them look glassy, like how an emerald would shine in the sunlight "…Get out. I don't want to speak to you." She said as firmly as she could with a braking voice, her body was she like a leave and she didn't even care, just looking at him was enough to make her want to scream. So she did "GET OUT!"

Master Eraqus flinched from her sudden outburst and obliged, he turned on his heel and began to shut the door, but stopped halfway. "I'm sorry." Was all he said before the door shut completely and Mai was left by herself again. She really had the urge to draw again because it made her feel better, but she didn't want to call on Kura.

'Kura…' she thought, if it wasn't him and making her realize that all Master Eraqus was worth was regret, then she would've just forgiven him, made her look useless and make everybody think that they could walk all over her without a worry, that she'd just forget about the whole thing. Well no more.

A sudden ache in her lower stomach caused Mai to wince and hold her abdomen. After a while the pain began to subside, but not completely. She simply ignored it and led back down slowly, but a hiss of pain left her lips when her stomach ached again. It was like a blunt knife had just cut into her stomach and was digging around for something. Mai groaned in annoyance and stood from her bed, and then it dawned on her when she felt something leak...

_"Hey, Aqua?"_

_"What is it Mai?"_

_"Um, when will I know when I'm becoming...a woman?"_

_Aqua chuckled and placed a hand on Mai's shoulder, the younger teen was twiddling her thumbs in embarrassment and kept her gaze to her feet. "Well, you start to get stomach aches and...you kinda..." Aqua straightened herself, finding it slightly awkward to tell an eleven year old about becoming a woman. "Well, you'll just know." _

"You are _shitting_ me." Mai said harshly and walked stomped into her bathroom, slamming the door behind her. The whole room was silent, the only sound was the whispering of the wind as it fly into the window, until... "_Ewww!_" Mai burst out of the bathroom, her face a crimson red out of shear embarrassment and her emeralds kept to the floor as she reluctantly left her room to find the only other girl in Land of Departure that would know what to do.

Mai stared the empty hall up and down with a frown, she really didn't want to bump into Master Eraqus after her screaming, but she needed to find Aqua, and she needed to find her now! Once she was happy that the coast was clear, she set off down the hall to Aqua's room, all the while trying to keep the stomach pains at bay.

It didn't take long for her to reach the blue haired girl's room, seeing as it was just around the corner and stopped in front of her door. "Oh god, this is so embarrassing." she wailed quietly to herself before bringing up a hand and timidly knocked on the door. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease."

No answer.

Mai raised a brow at the door in curiosity, as far as she was concerned Aqua was always in her room during her spare time, getting her nose stuck into a good book or practicing spells, unless she was with Mai and Terra, of coarse. The brunette cleared her throat and leaned into the door, placing a hand on it to keep her balanced. "Aqua?" she whispered into the door. "Aqua~?" Mai continued to repeat herself until her voice was almost a shout until she felt a hand on her shoulder "What is it Mai?"

"HOLY MOTHER OF - AHH!" Mai yelped in surprise and lost her footing when she spun around to face the sudden voice and fell to the floor with a loud thud "Ow, that really didn't help." she muttered to herself as the stomach ache grew again. Her eyes instantly landed on a pair of metallic shoes in front of her and continued to look up until her emerald gaze caught blue. "Aqua..."

"Mai? What's wrong?" the bluenette asked slightly worried and helped her friend to her feet. Once she was happy that Mai was stable, she gave her a warm smile, but all she got in response was a groan. Aqua was starting to get slightly worried about her friend and placed a hand on her forehead "Hm, you are a little warm. Have you caught a cold or something?"

Mai simply shook her head and swallowed the the sudden lump that formed in her throat. "Aqua, I-uh...I need your help." she muttered under her breath, but loud enough for the girl to hear. Aqua sighed "I won't know what's wrong until you tell me. Not what is it?" she said firmly and brushed Mai's bangs out of her face with her motherly touch.

"Well, the thing is..." Mai leaned up to Aqua's ear and cupped her mouth with her hands. As she whispered, Aqua found a small grin growing on her face. Once Mai pulled her bright red face away from Aqua's ear, she was gripped in a hug "OH, my baby's growing up!" Aqua squealed in delight and practically threw the poor girl around. "Aqua..." Mai pushed the girl away with a stubborn look on her face. Again with the 'baby'! "Right, sorry." the bluenette rubbed the back of her head with a grin and brushed past the girl and into her room, Mai just waited by the now open door.

The room looked no different to the other times she'd been in it, it was clean and blue. That was basically it; with a few books on the shelves, but apart from that it was just like Mai's room, blue bed and wardrobe and a door to her own private bathroom. The brunette stood in the doorway to the ocean like room and watched intently as Aqua rummaged around in the drawers of her desk, looking for something. A few moments later, Aqua submerged from the wood and made her way back over to Mai with a pink and blue box in her hand.

Mai stared at the box for a while before taking it warily, "The instructions are inside." Aqua answered her silent question and she nodded in acknowledgement before giving her a quick smile and turning to leave, but something, or someone was standing in her way...In other words a big statue of meat. "And where do you think you're going?" Terra smirked down at her. Mai groaned in annoyance and tried to brush past him, but Terra moved so that he was standing in her way again. "Terra." she said in a warning tone, but he simply chuckled and stood in her way again.

"Mai, just go in my bathroom." Aqua sighed with a face palm, gesturing her free arm to her private bathroom "'Kay." Mai gave a quick glare to Terra before she walked away from him and into the bathroom. It was silent for a while before Aqua pulled her hand from her face "Why do you do that to the poor girl?" she asked with slight irritation in her voice.

Terra shrugged and leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest "I don't do anything. Just treat her how an older brother would treat his little sister."

"Yeah, but she ain't your sister. You two just say that, doesn't mean it's true."

"Kill joy."

"What was that?" Aqua glared at the boy. He looked up with innocent eyes and flashed a sly smile "Nothing." the bluenette rolled her eyes and sat down onto her bed where an open book lay "Better be." she muttered and began to read. A few moment later Mai came out of the bathroom with a distraught look on her face. "...I hate my life." was all she muttered before setting down next to Aqua and began to read over her shoulder.

Terra raised a brow at the girl he called his sister before sharing a glance at the door opposite Aqua's room and looked back to Mai. "Um, Mai?"

"Hm?" she asked, not even looking up from the book. Terra sighed, "Aren't you gonna go see if Ventus is okay?" as he spoke, Mai gradually looked up to him, her eyes the last thing to look at him. A confused expression spread across her features "Who's Ventus?" she wondered. Terra stared at her at her completely gobsmacked and pointed to the door.

"He's the boy that came her a few hours ago. Soon after you left he fainted, I thought you knew!"

Mai stared at the man with wide eyes before jumping up from the bed and darted out of the door and down the hall. "Mai! MAI!" Terra called after her, causing her to stop in her tracks, almost falling on her ass, and turned to face him "What?"

He pointed at the door across from him "He's in there."

"Oh." was all she said and walked back up to them, stopping in front of the door and opened it. She was about to take a step inside when she looked over her shoulder to see Terra watching her closely "So, you said that his name was Ventus?" Mai corrected, the last thing that she wanted to do was not even know the boy's name when he woke up. Terra nodded and Mai returned the gesture before walking into the room.

Inside the room, the walls were a warm cream colour with wooden floors, there was a wardrobe in the corner of the room, painted a lime green which had faded over the years, a desk and empty bookshelves. It was all bear, but Mai understood that Ventus would decorate it to make it seem more homey, and maybe she could help him. A small smile reached her lips at the thought of being a helper, she'd always liked helping people, so when she saw the unconscious boy sleeping on the bed she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

He looked so peaceful as he slept, but Mai could practically feel his sadness and it was braking her heart. "Yeah...the half of my heart that I didn't give away." she joked to herself and chuckled, but when her emerald eyes landed on the boy again and her smile fell and she walked over to the bed, bending over slightly to get a better look at him. Mai was positive that he must sleep next to a fan or something to get his hair to go like that and his skin looked smooth with slightly coloured cheeks and soft looking lips. A sudden blush burned in Mai's cheeks at the sudden thought and straightened herself up, covering her cheeks with her hands.

It took a while for her face to cool, and when it did Mai went back to leaning over the bed. As strange as it sounded, she couldn't wait for him to wake up so that she could learn more about him, understand what he liked and disliked. Her thoughts were cut short when she saw his eye lids twitch, but as soon as the action came it left again and Ventus still showed no sign of waking up.

Mai dropped her shoulders and blew her bangs out of her face in slight annoyance. "Ventus. Wake up, please." she mumbled, it wasn't like she was expecting an answer from him, but this was Mai here, she talks to practically anything with a face.

"...M-Mai?"

The aforementioned girl gave a small yelp at the weak voice and jumped back from the bed, causing her to land flat on her ass. "What the...?" she hesitated before getting onto her knees and making her way back over to the bedside. Surely enough, Ventus' eyes were open slightly and his head was tilted towards her, and when his pupil less gaze landed on her he just stared. Neither of them made a move, instead made the gaze more intense.

'His eyes.' Mai's thoughts sprang back to the dream she had, the cerulean eyes right before she woke up, they were the exact same shade. She quickly shook the thoughts from her head and broke the gaze before getting to her feet and turning to walk out of the room "S-Sorry, I'll just let you settle in." she said quietly and started for the door.

"Wait." Ventus called after her and when Mai looked over her shoulder, she saw him straining to sit up. She heaved a heavy sigh and walked back over to him, "Here." she carefully helped him to sit up, earning a "Thanks." and sat on the edge of the bed. Ventus looked over the room carefully, taking in every nook and cranny before looking back to the girl next to him and forced a smile to his lips.

"...Are you hungry?" Mai asked, her response was a rumbling sound from the boy, who blushed furiously and held his stomach "I'll take that as a yes." she chuckled before getting to her feet and held out a hand for Ventus to take. She sighed when he hesitated but stood patiently until he took her hand and helped him to his feet. "C'mon, kiddo, I'll take ya to the kitchen."

He nodded and let Mai link arms with him, just to make sure that he didn't fall over while he walked, he did still feel like the room was spinning around him and the idea of getting something to eat seemed to set his hungry stomach. As they walked out of the room, Mai let go of his arm and let him lean on the wall "Two seconds." she held up two fingers to prove her point before practically braking down the door on the other side of the corridor "Aqua, Terra, Ven's awake. I'm just takin' him to get some food."

"Ven?" he questioned, Mai turned back to look at him and shrugged "I'm too lazy to call you Ventus all the time, no offence."

He nodded. "None taken."

She chuckled, he did the exact same thing Kura did earlier that day. Her smile instantly dropped when she remembered their little talk and quickly turned her attention back to the room and was almost trampled by Terra and Aqua as they ran out of the room to see the new boy. When their blue gaze landed on Ventus, they grinned "Oh my gosh, Ventus, It's a miracle!" Aqua squealed as she walked towards the boy.

Terra rolled his eyes and followed the bluenette "No Aqua, it's the power of waking up." he mocked, earning a punch in the shoulder. Mai giggled at the pair and Ventus only smiled in amusement, the brunette pushed her way between the now bickering teens "Will you two just zip it?" she raised a brow at the two before looking back to Ven.

"Ven, get used to it, 'cause this is what your new family is like." she giggled and gestured to the two beside her, who grinned happily. Ventus couldn't hold back a chuckle at how random they all were before he was suddenly being dragged down the hall by a hyperactive Mai "Now let's get some grub, I'm starved!" her voice echoed through the halls like a wave, and it seemed to calm the atmosphere. Ven let her drag him for a while before he pulled himself to his senses and began to run along side her.

And just within the past hour he knew that he was going to enjoy his time here.


	4. Chapter 4: friendly comfort

Chapter 4: Friendly comfort.

**Author's note:**

Hey again, I hope you like the story so far =3 and sorry about the 'time of the month' thing, if that creeped anyone out, I just really want to make this story as realistic as possible.

Ventus: Yeah, but isn't this a story about a _game_? A fictional story with fictional characters, along with Dis- *Knocked out on the floor*.

*sigh* thanks Mai

Mai: *Standing over a K.O. Ventus with fly swatter in hand* no problem, he was getting on my nerves anyway. But did you really have to write something so…personal about me?

…Yes =3. OH, and I got Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 the other day, so there isn't gonna be a super long delay when this story's finished 'cause I didn't have the other games, but yeah. I also got my first Final Fantasy but I'm stuck on the very first bit -_- it sucks, not the game, just my gaming skills.

Kura: What's Final Fantasy? *Get hit with a spatula* Ow, what the hell, Mai

Mai: =3 you were annoying me.

Yeah, and I don't think you're gonna like him much after this chapter either.

Mai: What?

Nothing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, only Mai and her scary looking fly swatter.

Mai: YAY!

Everyone: O.O

* * *

><p><em><span>2 years later…<span>_

Night fell upon Land of Departure, casting a ghostly glow on the fields and castle. Not a sound was heard other than the whistling of the gentle wind outside with everybody asleep in their beds sleeping peacefully. Until…

_**Bang!**_

Mai sprang up from her bed in alarm, causing her black duvet to fall from her face to show her frizzy, wavy brown hair and allowing her emerald eyes to scan the area around her. The panic soaked into her like a sponge when she noticed that her night light wasn't on and the only source of light was the haunting silver that shone through the window, lighting up only a square amount of her room, that being her bed.

The teen whimpered softly as fear gripped at her chest and took a deep breath before leaping from her bed with her eyes clenched shut, she reached around for the switch to turn her night light on, only to find that it wasn't there.

This time a small cry came from Mai's lips as she continued to scan the wall, not wanting to open her eyes in fear of seeing a horrible monster with huge, bulging eyes, a ghastly grin and gallons of blood dripping from its mouth.

The sudden image of the monster popped in Mai's head and she squealed in fright, but bit back a call for assistance. Not being able to find the switch, Mai squirmed and realized that she would have to go to the main light, and the switch to that was on the other side of the room!

Not having the bravery to open her eyes, Mai placed her right hand on the wall and used that as a guide as she took small steps. A small flicker of hope flashed in her mind as she began taking bigger steps, but that quickly faded when she felt her hand run along a cold and rough texture that definitely wasn't her wall.

Mai whimpered again as the fear began tearing at her heart and released a scream when she felt it grab her wrist, it was a hand! Out of instinct, Mai shot her eyes open for only a millisecond and instantly regretted it.

Standing in front of her, was her biggest Night Terror! The huge eyes were nothing but dead in the darkness, completely coated with black. Greasy, ebony hair ran down their back and seemed to be dripping, there was also a massive, ass-eating grin on its face with black substance oozing out like a waterfall which would be seen as blood in the light. It also wore a simple, baggy white dress without any shoes.

Altogether, it looked terrifying, and Mai was certain that she actually shit herself!

She released a heart wrenching scream and pulled back at her wrist, trying to pry the monster off of her. After a few harsh pulls, she finally got her arm back and continued to scream as she ran back to her bed - seeing as the monster was in the way of the door - and buried herself under her covers with a blue blanket clutched close to her chest.

Tears streamed down her panic struck face as she called for help, which got louder when she heard the creature's ragged breathing right above her, she could feel the blood dripping from it's mouth as it hit against the bed sheet, causing Mai to cry even more and heard the breathing getting louder until it was right next to her.

* * *

><p>"AHH!" Mai screamed as she sat up from her bed, only to be pushed back down with a hand over her mouth, causing her to panic more, now scarred by her terrifying nightmare and lashed out at the being above her, her screams muffled by a gloved hand.<p>

"Shut up before you wake everyone up!" a familiar voice snapped at her in a whisper. At the sound of the voice, Mai instantly stopped her screaming and looked up at the shadowed face, and surely enough there were spikes of a certain male friend. He waited until Mai was fully calm before he pulled his hand away from her mouth, only to be brought back onto the bed with Mai's arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"K-Kura…" she cried, "I just had the worst nightmare." Kura sighed before he pulled her up into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders and pulled her closer to him. They sat like that for a while until all was silent and Mai's sobs were nothing but shaky breaths.

Kura pulled her arms from his neck but kept a firm grip on her hands as he looked down at the petrified girl as she reluctantly scanned the room, the night light was off again, but Mai didn't mind too much, as long as somebody was with her to hold her hand, Mai was fine in the darkness. It was just that when she was alone she would break down crying.

He waited until their eyes met before he spoke, "Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked calmly, Mai thought about it for a moment before nodding and settled back down with a shaky sigh. Before she could open her mouth though, Kura began to wipe away her tears with his thumb, shrugging it off, she spoke.

"I-I was in my room, and my night light was switched off. Nobody was there so as I went to turn it on, I kept my eyes closed to keep the darkness away. But then I felt something, and it grabbed me, when I opened my eyes I saw…" her shaky voice trailed off as more tears fell from her face. Kura, knowing all about her Night Terror, pulled her back up and wrapped her in a hug again and stroked her hair, trying to sooth her.

Again, they sat like that before Mai pulled herself away and wiped her fresh tears away, "Do you want me to stay?" he asked, earning a nod from her. "Yeah, If you wouldn't mind." She whispered. Kura simply waved her off and settled himself under her duvet, Mai settled down next to him and buried her face into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Hey Mai?" he whispered, his hot breath brushing against her ear caused a shiver to run down her spine, "Y-Yeah?" she asked timidly and brought her knees up to her chest.

"If I'm gonna sleep her tonight, then I'm gonna need something in return." The smirk was evident in his voice. Mai froze at his words, not like she was moving anyway, and felt a lump form in her throat, "L-Like what?" she wondered, swallowing hard.

Kura reached under her chin and lifted her face to meet his golden gaze, the smirk on his face was huge and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself, "This…" his voice was smooth and he brought his face down closer to Mai's.

The wavy haired brunette couldn't help but stare at him with wide eyes as he closed the distance between them, but she didn't move, instead she just laid there and waited for it to come. The moment his lips touched hers, a violent shiver ran down Mai's spine, causing her to unwillingly lean into him.

It wasn't until Kura bit her lip to get her attention that she was snapped away from her thoughts, and she actually felt herself kissing him back! That caused Kura to smirk as he put more of his personality into it, and if Mai was honest, it was exactly how she would've expected him to kiss like, rough and dominating.

But no matter how much Mai told herself to pull away, she just stayed there. Her eyes eventually came to a close and she brought up her hands, one around his neck and the other playing with the hairs on the back of his head.

That only made Kura smirk more as he bit down on her lip again, drawing a bit of blood and making Mai gasp. He smoothly wiped it away away with his tongue and took his entrance into her mouth, exploring every inch it; and Mai couldn't hold back another shiver as he did, causing her to lean into him completely and straightened her legs. She could feel him getting a little rougher every second, and by now she knew that she was going to have a bruise of some kind on her lips, but she didn't care.

Kura placed one of his hands on her hip and pushed her back, Mai followed his demand so that she was completely on her back with him on top of her with one leg on either side of her waist as she continued to let him kiss her dominantly.

"_Excuse me ma'am, I think you dropped this."_

Mai felt a frown tugging at her brows when she heard Ventus' voice echo through her head, and what was weirder was that an image flashed through her mind as well. She and Ven were in the middle of some meadow, filled with a colourful range of flowers, and Ven was handing a red apple to some old hag…that was a bit mean, some old woman, carrying a wicker basket full of apples.

But then the picture was gone and another one took its place,

"_Ventus what-ever-the-hell-your-last-name-is, get your little blonde ass down here right now!"_

Her own voice screamed in her head, she was standing in a shallow part of an ocean, dripping wet and looking to the evening sky with a really pissed look on her features. But again, the image faded and then a whole range of pictures swam threw her mind, but they went by too quick for her to catch and all she could hear were the voices,

"_Just stay put! I'm on my own now, alright?" _

"_No Ven, do as I say and go home, take Mai with you."_

"_Hi, I picked these flowers. Do you like 'em?"_

"_I don't even need you here, just go home!"_

"_I was told…the Master was struck down."_

"_Relax, Ven. We're here, and we're gonna take care of you."_

"_Just…put an end to me."_

"_I'm not letting any of you fight this thing without me."_

"_My friends are my power, and I'm there's!"_

"_Who are you?" "I'm the darkness deep inside you."_

"_No! You weren't lost…You didn't have to leave me."_

"_I guess I've been down here so long, I almost forgot how to smile."_

"_Please come home."_

* * *

><p>Mai shot her emerald eyes open with a gasp before she realised what just happened and sat up. Her night light was on, and there was no sign of Kura. "What the…?" she scanned the room again to see no sight of him.<p>

* * *

><p>Ventus laid in bed peacefully, nothing to wake him up and nothing to annoy him. A warm smile touched his sleeping lips at the thought and tightened his grip on whatever he was holding onto. Ven stirred awake and let his eyes open slightly to see a head of wavy brown hair in his face.<p>

"Huh?" Ven lifted his groggy head off of his pillow to get a better look at it and gasped "Mai?" he asked in alarm and realized that she was the thing that he was holding onto, and his arms were around her waist.

He quickly brought his hands to himself and stared down at the girl. He wasn't surprised that she was there, just shocked; like every other time that he woke up to see Mai there, she would often crawl into his bed in the middle of the night and bury her small frame into him, looking for comfort, so it wasn't the first time she'd done this. Just like…the millionth.

But it wasn't like he never went to sleep in her bed either, in fact it was actually him that started the whole thing.

_Flashback__…_

Ven was laid awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling as the storm outside blew a havoc, the rain slapped against his window, and thunder and lightning filled his room. Despite the relaxing sound of the rain outside, Ventus just couldn't get to sleep, his eyes just wouldn't stay closed and let him drift off.

After a few more minutes of tossing and stirring, Ven gave up and decided to get himself a snack from the kitchen, so he got up from his bed and headed out of him room. But when he turned a corner he heard faint whimpering coming from one of the rooms ahead. It scared him quite a bit, but Ven simply shrugged it off and started searching for the sound.

It turned out to be coming from inside Mai's room, he raised a brow at the door before bringing up a hand and knocked on it quietly, "Mai?" he whispered "You in there?" stupid question, of coarse she was in there, it was _her _room after all. When he got no reply Ventus brought it among himself and pushed the door open to see Mai's night light on, as usual, but the thing that really caught his eye was the shaking bundle on the bed.

"Mai?" Ven's voice was filled more with concern as he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

"V-Ven?" her voice was shaky and the bundle sat up, the duvet fell from her face to show her wet face and puffy eyes, "Is that you?" she asked warily as she wiped her face. Ventus nodded, "Yeah, it's me. What's wrong?" he asked.

A sudden thunder boomed outside, causing Mai to jump violently and sink back under her covers, answering the blonde's question. He sighed and leaned against the door, "Let me guess, you're afraid of thunder?" he asked weakly and rubbed his temples. Mai sniffled "N-No, they just make me very emotional." she daid, causing Ventus to chuckle quietly.

But she started shaking violently as the wind picked up and the storm got worse; and Ven looked at her with a worried expression. He couldn't just leave her crying, could he? A sudden idea caused Ven to blush slightly, "H-Hey Mai. What if I stayed here to keep you company?" he asked carefully. At his words, Mai pulled the duvet from her face and stared at him with a raised brow, but when the wind seemed to howl loudly, she gave a sheepish nod.

Ventus gave a small smile and grabbed a chair from under the desk that was in the corner of the room and walked over to Mai with it, he sat on it backwards, facing Mai with his arms propped up on the back and his chin resting on his arms.

Mai watched him as he did that, and when she saw him settling down; she sat up, gaining the blonde's attention, "Ven?" she said nervously and twiddled her thumbs.

"Yeah?" he asked, sitting up properly. A deep blush stained Mai's cheeks, but it was unnoticeable in the darkness "C-Can you…maybe lay down with me?" she asked, nodding to the bed below her.

Ventus felt his own blush creep up his cheeks from her request but nodded and got up from his chair and awkwardly made his way over to her "If it'll make you feel better." Mai moved over so that he would have more room to sleep and unraveled the duvet from around her.

She laid down on her side and watched him as he climbed under the covers next to her; and a small smile touched her lips. Ventus noticed this and returned the smile before settling down on his side, which happened to be facing her. "Hey, Ven?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." She whispered and buried herself into his chest, knees up to her chest like a ball with her blue blanket clutched to her chest. "You're welcome." He replied and let her warm up to him with a small blush. Even though it was still storming outside and Mai was terrified, she couldn't help but find herself dozing off, still shaking slightly.

_End flashback…_

Ven was snapped back into reality when he heard a sniffle and looked down to Mai, even though she was facing away from him he could see small tear leaking from her eye. Without warning, Ventus spun her around to face him and wrapped his arms around her; and she nuzzled her face into his cheek.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he said in a soft voice in attempt to calm her. Mai sniffled again and clutched his pyjama shirt in her fists, "N-Nothing…Just had a bad dream, is all." She answered truthfully.

"Well, do you wanna talk about it?" Ven asked.

Mai thought back on the dream and remembered the last time she told somebody about her nightmare, only causing more tears to fall from her eyes "No." she cried and clutched his shirt tighter, "I don't wanna talk about it."

Ventus nodded his head in understanding and tightened his hold on her, and after a while he rolled onto his back with Mai resting her head on his chest as he stared out the window, only to gasp. "A meteor shower!" he said with a small grin.

At this, Mai snapped her gaze up to the window and saw that there were in fact lights shooting across the sky, and a smile made its way to her lips. "We should go watch it." She suggested, causing Ven to look down at her and his grin widened, "You sure?" he asked.

Mai nodded before jumping up from his bed and heading for the door "Sure. Hey Ven, I'll race ya." She winked at the boy over her shoulder, who accepted the challenge immediately and sprang from his bed. Mai ran out the door with Ventus hot on her heels as they ran through the empty corridors as quietly as they could, tripping over their feet a few times.

By the time the duo reached the courtyard, they were both panting for breath and stopped, "Looks like…I win." Mai chuckled, causing Ven to playfully glare at her, "Yeah right, you only won because I let you win." He said in defence.

Mai rolled her eyes, "Face it, Ven, you lost fair and square." She placed her hands on her hips before looking to the sky and groaning "We can't see much from here."

Ven followed her gaze before shrugging and starting for the mountain trail "Then let's head to the summit." He called over his shoulder, catching Mai's attention and she quickly jogged over to catch up with him, wrapping her sky blue blanket around her shoulders to keep her warm.

As they walked up the trail and into their outdoor training ground, where it was nicely lit, Ven looked over to Mai's blank face and felt a frown tugging at his brows "Hey Mai?"

"Hmm?" she asked, now turning to look at him, but she felt herself shrink back when she noticed the look he was giving her. "What happened to your lip?" he wondered and pointed to her face. Mai's emerald orbs widened and brought her fingers to her lips and noticed that they hurt a bit.

'_FUCK!_' she thought violently to herself. But when her gaze landed back on Ventus, she simply shrugged it off "N-no idea." She mentally kicked herself for stuttering, but Ven couldn't see through her lie and nodded, "Okay…But if we wanna see that meteor shower than we better hurry up." He said and started jogging, Mai close behind.

When the two reached the summit; they couldn't help but smile. The meteor shower was now at its best, there were more stars shooting across the sky, and they were brighter than ever! "Wow." Mai sighed in awe.

"I know." Ven smiled and sat down on the fresh grass and laid back with his arms crossed behind his head. It took Mai a little while to get out of her trance and looked back down to Ventus, when she caught his gaze, she smiled and sat down half a foot away from him.

They both sat in silence as they stared up at the dark velvet sky, each lost in their own thoughts. But Mai had something playing around in her head like a broken record, the voices that she heard in her dream as she was-…we don't need to mention that.

It was funny, all of the voices she recognised as Terra, Aqua, Ventus and even her, but there was one voice that she didn't know, and it sent shivers down her spine, it was so dark…and cold, even. Even Ven's voice scared her in the dream, in every single one of them he was either angry or sad, they all were.

"Hey Ven?" Mai's voice seemed to cut through the silence like a blunt knife, startling Ven slightly and causing him to sit up.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think…it's possible for us to get closer?" she asked. Ventus gave her a look before shrugging and scooting closer to her "Well, yeah. If I just move up and-"

"No, Ven." Mai chuckled, understanding how he could've misunderstood her. "I mean, do you think our friendship could get any closer?"

Ventus felt his face burn as she explained and turned his head away from her in attempt to hide the blush, "O-Oh. I-I dunno, really. I mean, we are pretty close now…But...Wow, I haven't really got an answer for that." He stared at the ground in disbelief.

Mai sighed, "I knew you'd say that." She mumbled to herself quietly enough so that Ven wouldn't hear it, "Well," she started, causing Ven to look back up at her "Let's make a promise then."

"A promise?"

"Yeah. Promise that if we ever leave this world," 'Again.' she thought, "then we'll take each other, no matter what." Mai finished her sentence by holding out her pinky. Ven looked at her little finger warily, thinking it over, before a smile grew on his face and he linked his pinky with hers. "Promise."

Mai grinned at him, all the worry and fear from before fading away, before they both laid down, him on his back with Mai resting her head on his chest, looking up at him. When Ventus caught her gaze he raised a brow, "What?"

Mai shook her head with a smile, "Nothing, just-…thanks Ven." She said and wrapped her blanket around the two, "I haven't done anything, though." He questioned, Mai only answered him by closing her eyes and dozing off, Ventus sighed and looked back up to the sky, only to feel something spark inside him and caused a frown to tug at his brows.

"Why does this feel so…familiar?" he said to himself before letting his eyes slide shut and becoming victim of sleep himself.

When Ventus came around; he felt something moving off of him, and when he opened his eyes he saw that Mai was rolling away from him, still fast asleep. He couldn't help but smile at the sight and sat up, noticing that it was still dark and nothing seemed to need him; Ven yawned and flopped back down onto his back lazily. When his eyes were fixed on the sky again, he saw a certain bluenette standing above him.

"Woah!" he jumped about ten foot in the air when he saw her and sat up, he turned to face her and sat on his knees, "Gimme a break, Aqua." He chuckled, causing the girl to giggle as she stood up straight.

"Huh? What happened?" the two looked over to Mai to see her coming around, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and when she saw Aqua, she smiled sheepishly at her.

"Ven, Mai, you two have got to be the laziest people I know. You'll sleep practically anywhere." She said with a sigh, causing Mai to grin. But Ven didn't look all that proud, "But, did I dream that place up?" he asked, his gaze set to the grass, "It really felt like I'd been there before. Looking up at the stars."

Aqua smiled down at him and ruffled his hair "'Cept you've only been here with us." She said, causing Mai to glare at her slightly when Ven wasn't looking. "Yeah, I know." He smiled and stood up, Mai followed his actions and the three sat down at the edge of the summit.

Mai hated lying to Ventus, not letting him know where he came from, and the strange thing was that he was never bothered by it, just kept moving forward as if he never lost his memory of his childhood. He's just always believed that he lived there and hit his head during a training session.

As the three sat in silence, Mai gave Ventus a worried glance, but when he caught her gaze she quickly turned away to the sky. "Hey, guys…" He said from her left. "Hmm?" they both turned their attention to the boy to see him glancing at the stars with a small smile, "Y'ever wonder what stars are, where light comes from?" he asked curiously.

Mai turned her emerald orbs back towards the sky and grinned, of course she knew what they were, she'd been visiting all of the stars with Kura for the past two years, and her favourite world definitely had to be Radiant Garden, the flowers, the light...

"Hmm, well they say…" Aqua started from her right, stopping Mai's trail of thought in its tracks.

"That every world up there is another world." A familiar voice said from behind the trio, causing them to look over their shoulders to see none other than, "Terra." Aqua said in slight surprise, she clearly wasn't expecting to see him out at the earlier hours of the morning.

"Yep, hard to believe there are so many worlds out there besides our own." Terra gave a nod of his head and sat himself down on the bench just behind them "The light is their hearts, and it's shining down on us like a million lanterns." He said smugly, like he was the only one who knew it, causing Mai to roll her eyes.

"What? I don't get it." Ventus said with a confused expression on his features. Terra sighed "In other words they're just like you, Ven." He grinned when he saw Ven stand up and walk over to him looking even more confused.

"What does _that_ mean?" he wondered, earning sweat drops from the group. "It's a compliment, kiddo." Mai piped up with a giggle. Ven turned to look at her "I know _that._" He said in defence. "Riiiiight." She laughed.

Ventus simply glared at her before looking back so Terra, "So?" he demanded, slightly aggravated by Mai's hysterics, "You'll find out someday, I'm sure." Terra answered and stood up, towering over the blonde, "But I wanna know now." He whined and stood on his tip toes in attempt to look taller, which failed epically.

"You're too young to know now."

"Quick treating me like a kid! I already have Mai calling me 'kiddo' all the time." Ven wasn't wrong, that was the nickname that she gave him, besides 'Ven'. All throughout the argument, Mai couldn't help but laugh harder, clutching her sides and rolling on the floor.

All of a sudden Aqua began to giggle on her own accord, catching the bickering boys' attention, "And what're _you _laughing at?" Terra asked as Ven placed a foot on Mai's stomach to stop her from rolling over the edge of the cliff she was getting closer to.

"I can't help it," Aqua chuckled, "You lot would make the weirdest family." All went silent the second she said that, even the chirp of a cricket could be heard, before the aforementioned apprentices exchanged a glance and burst into hysterics, along with Aqua.

"That would be weird." Ven stated when their laughing finally subsided, Aqua was still sat on the edge of the cliff, Terra was on the bench, and Ven and Mai were laying down on the grass, watching the stars again.

"Yeah, and I think everyone would know who the mommy and daddy would be." Terra said slyly as he glanced down at the two teens, when his words finally sunk in, the two exchanged a quick glance before jumping away from each other, much to Aqua and Terra's amusement.

"Ew, no way!" they yelled in unison, "She's my best friend!" Ven pointed at Mai while looking at the man on the bench "And he's _my_ best friend!" She followed his gesture but glanced at the bluenette who was smirking at her.

Terra only shrugged "But I wanted to be a brother-in-law." He muttered, causing Ven and Mai to spring to their feet and chase after him. Terra chuckled as he jumped over the back of the bench and ran around the summit.

Aqua could only watch with amusement as she watched the two teens chase Terra for about ten minutes before they finally caught him, Ventus tackled him to the ground and pulled his arms behind his back as a police officer would to a criminal, and Mai sat on Terra's back and pulled his leg back like a wrestler.

The bluenette sighed, she had to start reducing their TV hours before they became complete and utter pains in the ass. A gasp escaped her lips when she remembered something and stoode up, hesitantly making her way over to them.

"Terra," she started, causing the two teens, who were shouting "Take it back!" over and over again, to stop their attacks and glance at her, and Terra to seize his laughter. "You and I have our Mark of Mastery exam tomorrow." She smiled and pulled something out from behind her back and held up four coloured shaped stars attached to some string, "I made us good luck charms."

Ven instantly removed his grip and stood up, while Mai rolled away and stayed on the floor with her hands under her chin and her feet in the air, letting Terra to stand up. Aqua threw the orange star to Terra, the green one to Ventus, the purple star to Mai and kept the blue one for herself. On closer inspection, Mai could see that they were made of coloured glass and outlined with metal with a Land of Departure emblem in the middle.

"Wow, I get one too?" Ventus asked with a grin and held his green star up to eye level, by now Mai had stood up. "Of course," Aqua said as the four stood in a circle and held out their new charms "One for each of us. Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit…and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other."

"So…It's a Wayfinder?" Mai asked as she stood in her thinking pose, Aqua nodded. "Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had." The bluenette gave a sheepish smile.

"Oy, sometimes you're such a girl." Terra complained, causing Mai to face palm him "Maybe that's because she _is _a girl, dick brains." She rolled her eyes, "Language." He warned, Mai simply shrugged.

"And what the hell do you mean by 'sometimes'?" Aqua said in a threatening tone and stood right in front of him, a small fire flickering in her eyes. Terra gulped and he took a few steps back, his arms held up in defence, "N-Nothing, I-I was just…" the bluenette sighed and waved him off, looking over to the younger two.

"So…This isn't a real good luck charm?" Ventus asked, with a small frown tugging at his brows. Aqua shrugged, "Well that's yet to be seen, but I did work a little magic on it." She said with a smile.

"Really? Like what?" he questioned with a grin. Aqua giggled and held out her new Wayfinder "An unbreakable connection."

* * *

><p>The four had just finished a small training session for Aqua and Terra's test in the morning and were at the other side of the summit were there was a small brick like thing, it seemed as though it used to be a small extension but had crumbled away over the years, the lights were lesser there which made it a bit more calming.<p>

Terra was leaning against what was left of a wall with his hand in his pocket, Ventus and Aqua were sat over the edge, and Mai was sat on a lower level with her head resting in Ven's lap, her eyes drifting closed every now and then as the blonde absentmindedly stroked her hair.

"Hey!" Terra called, causing the two younger teens to look over their shoulders and see Terra and Aqua already halfway to the exit of the summit, "We're gonna head back!" he shouted.

"Yeah, us too!" Ven called back to him, earning a groan from Mai and she dropped her head back onto his lap, "But I'm too comfortable to move." She complained, causing Ventus to chuckle at her, "C'mon," he said and helped her to her feet, seeing as she was on a lower level than him, before he stood up himself and started walking back towards the castle.

Ven saw that Terra and Aqua had already gone ahead, so this was the perfect time to ask her about what happened earlier. "Hey Mai,"

"Yeah?" she asked groggily and looked at him with lazy eyes, he bit back a laugh "What…What was wrong with you earlier then? When you came into my room crying, you look fine now, but…"

Mai bowed her head and bit her lip with a sigh, "J-Just a nightmare. I'm fine now though." Her reassurance didn't fool Ven and by now they were in the courtyard, making their way up to the castle doors, which he held open for her.

"You can't play me." He sighed and guided Mai through the dimly lit corridors, "I know you better than that Mai. But…I also know when to let something go, I know that if you don't wanna talk 'bout it you'll be stubborn and go in a mood with me," Mai sent him a small glare, but he ignored it "Just be sure to tell me sooner or later, 'kay?" he said and opened the door to his room.

He saw Mai hesitate for a while before she eventually gave a small nod, bringing a warm smile to his lips. "Thanks." he said and settled down on his bed with Mai next to him, he reached over to turn off the bed side table that he turned on when he woke up to see Mai in his room and laid down, his arms wrapped around her waist as if she was a teddy bear, but stopped when he was about to nuzzle his face into her back.

"…We don't _really_ act like 'mommy and daddy', do we?" he asked cautiously. Mai looked over her shoulder as much as she could to see his face, she shook her head, "Nah, we're just really good friends. They can say what they want." She grinned at him.

Ventus sighed in slight relief and nuzzled his face into her back, "Good, just wanted to check." His voice was muffled in Mai's long sleeved pyjama shirt as they both drifted off into a calm sleep, and hopefully without nightmares.

* * *

><p>The bright, morning sun shone through Ventus' window, causing his eyes to flutter open. It took a while for his eyes to take focus and his eyes instantly landed on a familiar brunette, still sleeping soundly. Ven lifted his now heavy head to glance at his clock and groaned, drooping back into his pillow, there was two and a half hours left until the Mark of Mastery exam and they had to get ready.<p>

He muffled a few curse words into his pillow and tightened his grip that was still around Mai's waist, bringing her closer as he whispered in her ear, "Mai, wake up." He tried his best to give her a comfortable wake up.

"Ventus…Go away…" she mumbled, her brain now starting to come around. The blonde simply chuckled and shook her slightly, "C'mon, we gotta get ready for Terra and Aqua's exam." He said.

Mai rubbed the sleep away from her eyes and rolled over to glare at him slightly, "And since when did I…" her trail of thought was lost as she began to drift off again, much to Ven's amusement. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and reached over to his bedside table, pulling out a Chocolate Valentine cereal bar.

He waved it in front of Mai's and watched as her eyes shot open when the smell waved through her nose. "Ven…" she grinned up at him in the way that she did when she wanted something and Ventus didn't hesitate to give her the treat.

While Mai ate the bar, Ventus got out of bed and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. When the brunette was happy with the food in her stomach, she scanned the room quickly.

"Ven?" she called out, playing with the empty wrapper. "In here!" he answered from the bathroom, Mai let out a sigh of relief and got to her feet, "'Kay, well I'm gonna go clean myself up then." She said and headed for the door,

"Alright." He answered before Mai left the room. Since her bedroom was just around the corner, it didn't take her too long to get there. She popped into the bathroom and checked herself in the mirror, the bruise on her lips was still there but it was hardly noticeable. How Ventus saw it in the first place was beyond her, but she was just happy that the others didn't see it.

With a small sigh, Mai shut the door to the bathroom and turned on the water to her shower before stripping down and she stepped in.

About ten minutes later, Ven was walking down the corridors towards the kitchen to get his own breakfast when he past Mai's room her heard a yelp, and a thud which was followed by an "Ow…". Ventus sighed to himself. That girl could never catch a break. Ven and walked over to the door and knocked on it.

"Mai?" he called, but when he got no response; he raised a brow and opened the door, only to find it empty. "Huh?" he wondered and stepped into the room, he stopped short when he heard the faint sound of the shower running. Ventus chuckled as he rubbed his temples.

"Who's there?" Mai called out from the bathroom. "I'm not guessing!" she added quickly and the sound of the running water stopped.

"It's me..."

No response.

"Ventus!"

"Oh, hey kiddo. Whatcha doin'?" she asked, causing Ven to sigh, "You couldn't tell it was me through a door? We've been friends for as long as_ I_ can remember!" he stated in mock hurt, making a joke about his amnesia. "N-No, It's just that I've been wrong before!" Mai defended, but her last words caused Ven to raise a blonde brow, "And when were you wrong before?"

Mai froze in the bathroom, it was Kura's voice that she mistook for Ventus' before when he came to her with a 'surprise visit'. When he told Mai to draw a picture, if she wanted to see him, he didn't realize that she would hardly ever draw, so he decided to speed things up and just came to her whenever he felt like it...which is very awkward when you walk into your own room - which you think is empty - butt naked after a bath...that bastard never let it go.

Mai simply ignored the question and wrapped a white towel around her now towel dried frame with her hair, still wet, draping over her shoulders and made her way over to the bathroom door, seeing as she didn't take any clothes with her into the bathroom, and opened it. Her emerald orbs scanning the area before they landed on a familiar blonde laying on her bed and reading one of her books, when he heard the sound of the door open Ventus glanced over to the door, his blank expression changing only slightly by the small sparkle in his eyes.

"What?" Mai asked, folding her arms behind her back, as if to hide them, and walked over to her wardrobe to pick out an outfit, that being her good ol' red kimono - in a bigger size, obviously - "Nothing." Ventus said casually and went back to reading the book, "Although you do wear that kimono an awful lot." he concluded as Mai walked back into the bathroom to get changed after slyly grabbing some under garments when he wasn't looking.

Mai scoffed, "Yeah, and how many times have you worn that get up of yours?" she asked cockily, causing Ven to sit up from her bed, "Hey! I don't wear it as much as you wear that kimono. Besides, yesterday I wore those jeans and shirt." he defended with a smug look on his face, even though nobody was there to see it.

His words caused Mai to burst out laughing, "Y-Yeah. And you split your jeans right up the middle!" she seemed to be choking but quickly got her breath back. Ventus blushed a deep crimson red, "Hey, nice KeyBlade boxers, by the way." she chuckled. Ven pouted like a child, his blush growing worse if even possible, "Mai!" he whined, causing Mai to sigh through her giggles, "Aww, y'know it's only a joke kiddo."

Ventus took a deep breath to try and bring his blush back down and stood up from Mai's bed, "Whatever, I'm gonna go get some breakfast." he called out to her, knowing full well what would happen. Mai rushed out of the bathroom only half dressed, she was in her grey cat suit and sleeves and trying to put on her red kimono while holding her socks, shoes and belt. If Ventus was being fair, just the plain grey outfit looked pretty cool, but he wasn't one to judge.

"Hang on, I'm coming too." Mai said before she finally got the kimono on and wrapped the sash around her waist, she quickly grabbed her black sashes from her dresser and quickly wrapped them around her chest. Ven sighed and opened the door to Mai's room and allowed her to hop past him while she put on her right sock and shoe, he shut the door behind them and they started down the halls, Ventus keeping a hand on Mai's back just in case she fell over.

* * *

><p>After breakfast, the two met up with Terra and Aqua and headed for the Grand Hall to start their meditation and for a bit of training before the exam. The group of four sat in a circle in the center of the hall; facing each other with their legs crossed pretzel style and their eyes closed. Mai took a deep breath and soon found herself tense, Aqua sensed this and opened one eye to look at the brunette, "You okay?" she asked.<p>

Mai flinched from being pulled out of her trance and looked at Aqua, "Yeah." she sighed and looked to the floor and fiddled with her fingers, Aqua tilted her head to see Mai's face and smiled warmly. Mai caught her gaze and smiled back, although it didn't reach her eyes.

By now Ven and Terra had finished their meditation and had already started their short training for the day, Aqua's blue eyes softened as she continued to smile before patting the young girl's shoulder and stood up, "C'mon," she started, "We gotta practice. This is just as much a benefit to you as it is to us." Aqua summoned her trusty KeyBlade and took her stance, "Y'never know when you're gonna need the skills."

Mai sat there for a while before she grinned and got up into her own stance with her sword wielded and held strongly by her side. The two sprang at each other and swung, sparks flew from their weapons when they collided before Aqua pulled away with a back flip and threw her KeyBlade, Mai cartwheeled out of the way but stumbled a bit when she got to her feet again. Aqua saw her little struggle and took the opportunity to run at her, catching her KeyBlade swiftly when it flew back to her like a boomerang, and slashed down at her but Mai held up her blade to block. The impact from the blades caused sparks again and Mai's feet struggled under the sudden attack, she was caught off guard when Aqua sudden pulled her Key Blade away and slashed at her side but Mai blocked just in time but she was thrown back from the attack, falling back onto her ass.

"C'mon Mai, you got more skill than that!" Ventus' voice rang through her ears. Mai focused her emerald orbs on the boys to see that Ventus was sat on the ground with his legs crossed and his arms crossed over his chest, Terra was standing next to him with his hand resting on the blonde's head. Mai nodded and quickly got to her feet before charging back at Aqua with her sword at the ready.

_Flashback..._

Wooden weapons clashed together in the courtyard outside the castle, and with one strong thrust Ventus was pushed back and fell on his ass, with wooden sword next to him.

"Giving up already? C'mon, Ven. I thought you were stronger than that." Terra taunted with the wooden version of his KeyBlade held at his side with a smirk plastered on his face. Ventus had been training at the Land of Departure for four months now and everybody treated him like family, but he kept the barriers up, he tried to keep some distance and hardly spoke, the only person that he really talked to was Mai and that was only because she never shut up. Ventus never saw that as a flaw of any kind, it made him more comfortable to be around her, and very rarely he opened up to her.

"Ven, you almost had him." Aqua called out from the side lines, "Just try it again!" she encouraged. Mai smiled from beside her and cupped her hands over her mouth, "Yeah, and kick his ass!" she yelled but instantly flinched as she looked up to the castle doors to check that Master Eraqus wasn't watching them, when she saw that he wasn't there she sighed in relief and turned back to the match.

"Hey wait, you're teaming up now?" Terra asked. Ventus nodded at the girls and grabbed his wooden sword before he jumped to his feet and charged at Terra.

* * *

><p>The group of four were sat on the wall with their feet hanging over the edge of the courtyard, training had just finished and nobody felt like going back inside yet, well, Ven did but Mai begged him not to, so he didn't. Terra noticed that the blonde was looking rather disappointed, possibly from losing the match, he lent back on his hands and raised a brow at the boy before he smiled.<p>

"Ven. You see all those dents and nicks you got?" he asked, hoping that he would catch on. When he didn't answer Aqua leaned forward to see past Mai, who was sitting next to Ven, to see his face, "Each one of those is proof you're learning." she smiled warmly at him, but Ven kept a straight face as he looked up at her.

"You're just...trying too hard to move your body." Mai started in her thinking pose, trying to find the right words, "You need to learn to let your body move you. Right?" she said, aiming her question at Terra, who nodded. Terra stood up straight with his wooden KeyBlade held high and cleared his throat, "In your hand, take this blade." he started, causing Mai and Aqua to exchange glances, "And so long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be made."

The girls giggled at him, "What's _that _about? Who went and made you Master?" Aqua asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Being a KeyBlade Master is all I've dreamed about." Terra answered happily. Aqua exchanged a glance with Ven, "Well, you're not the only one." she said. Mai dropped her shoulders with her head hung low.

"I know." Terra nodded and knelt down beside Ventus, "You, me, and Ven...all share the same dream." he exclaimed and held out his wooden KeyBlade. Ven smiled for the first time at Terra and slowly reached out and gently grabbed the wooden weapon. Aqua grinned at the scene before she noticed Mai now being the emo of the group.

"Mai, what's wrong?" she asked, worried. Mai shot her head up, startling Aqua and causing her to fall back slightly, "Even kiddo knows what his dream is...I still don't know what mine is. I can't be a KeyBlade Master 'cause I can't even _wield _a freaking KeyBlade." she sighed in annoyance and crossed her arms over her chest. Aqua shook her head and placed a hand on Mai's shoulder.

Ventus looked up at her and gave a small smile, "You'll find one."

_End Flashback..._

Mai and Ventus stood side by side on the side lines of the grand hall while Aqua and Terra stood side by side in the center, facing the three thrones at the front, but only two were occupied. Mai looked the chairs over and her eyes landed on the chair that held her used-to-be father, when their eyes met, they saddened and Mai instantly switched her glace to her feet and clenched her fists.

She heard Ventus groan from beside her and looked up at him, his eyes were focused on Master Xehanort, who was occupying the other chair. Mai nudged his arm slightly to catch his attention, when he looked at her his eyes were a mixture of fear and uncertainty. "You okay?" she asked in a hushed voice. Ventus' ocean blue eyes softened and he nodded with a sigh, "Yeah."

Mai watched him for a moment before she looked over to Master Xehanort to see him watching them, he was giving her a worried glance as if to say 'Is Ventus alright?'. Mai nodded and Xehanort returned the gesture before Master Eraqus stood up from his chair. Mai, Ventus, Aqua, and Terra stood up straight with their arms glued to their sides.

Master Eraqus glanced over the room once before his brown eyes landed on the pupils that stood in front of him, "Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery. Not one but two of the KeyBlade's chosen stand here as candidates...but this is neither a competition nor a battle for supremacy - not a test of wills, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail, or neither." he exclaimed, "But I am sure our guest, Master Xehanort..." all eyes turned to the KeyBlade Master that was still sitting in his chair, he nodded for Eraqus to continue, "did not travel all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the Mark. I trust you are ready."

"Yes." Aqua and Terra answered in unison. Eraqus wielded his KeyBlade and held it high, "Then let the examination begin." he said, the tip of his blade glowed with a white light before several balls of light surrounded the pair, they wielded their KeyBlades and readied themselves for battle. Mai felt her heartbeat speed up with excitement, "Here we go." she whispered to herself, but her face instantly fell when the orbs of light were coated with a dark aura.

"What the..." the orbs of light started going AWOL, never the less Aqua and Terra charged at the orbs and started slashing away. One of the orbs started speeding towards Mai and Ventus, "Watch out!" Aqua shouted. Mai reached for her sword and tried to pull it out, but somehow it got caught on the sheath. The orb was darting towards her and the brunette could do nothing but shut her eyes and wait for the impact. But it never came, "Huh?" Mai opened her eyes and grinned when she saw Ventus standing in front of her with his KeyBlade in hand.

"Thanks, kiddo." she said, Ventus looked over his shoulder and gave Mai a cheesy grin before he looked back to his friends, "Don't worry about us. You two focus on the exam!" he shouted. Aqua and Terra were now back to back, surrounded by the orbs. "But Ven, you're in danger here! Go wait in your rooms." Aqua said firmly, but the two weren't going anywhere.

"No way!" Mai shouted from behind the blonde, "Ven and I have been looking forward to this - seeing you two become Masters. Like hell are we gonna miss it now!"

"They can take care of themselves." Terra exclaimed from behind Aqua, "Those two have been out there training just as hard as us."

"Yeah!" Ven cheered happily. Aqua sighed, still unsure, but she nodded and sunk into her fighting stance, "Stay sharp, guys." she said before Terra and her ran off to attack the orbs. Ventus was about to rush off too before he looked over to Mai to see her still struggling to get her sword out of her sheath, "Aw, screw it!" she groaned and undid the belt that kept the sheath around her waist and dropped it to the floor, "I'm better at hand-on-hand combat anyway."

She charged straight past Ventus and headed for her first victim, Ven raised a brow at her before shaking his head and dashing off in the opposite direction to get a few of his own orbs.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

Mai was having an absolute blast taking out her orbs, of coarse she played with them first. At the moment she was sitting atop one as it flew about widely, laughing while she went. Terra sighed at his 'little sister' before attacking an orb of his own and swung his KeyBlade like a boomerang, hitting and destroying the orb that Mai was sitting on. The brunette hit the ground with a loud thud, she rubbed her backside tenderly with small anime tears in her eyes, "Meanie!" she shouted at the older brunette.

Terra simply laughed her childish insult off and destroyed a few more orbs. There was one orb left now and Mai ran towards it full speed, "Don't play with this one, Mai!" Terra called out. Mai's face fell but she kept running, "Fine!" she called back and gave the orb a swift kick right through the center of it, hitting the heart and making it disappear almost immediately.

The four pupils scanned the area for any more enemies, only to find none, they sighed in relief and took their previous positions before the fiasco and Mai tied her sword back to her waist. "That was unexpected..." Eraqus mused, a small frown was placed on his features, "But one must keep a still heart even in the most trying of circumstances. It was an excellent test, one I chose to let unfold. Which bring us to your next trial."

Terra and Aqua stood facing each other in the center of the hall with their weapons held at their sides. "Now, Terra and Aqua," Eraqus started, "the two of you will face each other in combat. Remember, there are no winners - only truths, for when equal powers clash, their nature is revealed." Terra and Aqua sunk down into their fighting stances, "Begin!"

The two candidates immediately charged at each other and swung, their blades clashed, causing sparks to fly everywhere. Aqua was the first to pull back and spun around, blocking the second attack that Terra threw at her. Aqua pushed his KeyBlade out of balance and threw her own attack, but Terra blocked it just in time, the brunette threw a horizontal swung but Aqua back flipped out of the way. She did that a few times as Terra swung until she was on the balcony that over looked the front door.

Mai and Ventus watched the scene in complete awe, they'd seen Aqua and Terra spar before, but they never used this much skill. Well, it was the exam after all, they would have to pull every trick in the book to pass this, but both teens knew that their friends had more than enough skill to pass. Mai was a little worried seeing Aqua on the balcony, but she let it unfold to see what the bluenette would do next.

Terra had stopped throwing attacks and decided to switch to the offense, allowing Aqua to throw some attacks, but he didn't expect her blade to get so close to his face. He barely dodged the attack in time before it gave him an unforgettable scar up his face and jumped all the way back to the center of the hall, Aqua wasted no time and started for him again. Terra growled under his breath and Mai gasped, placing a hand over her mouth to muffle it.

"What is it?" Ventus asked in alert, nudging her arm slightly. "Terra's hand." Was all she said, Ven raised a brow before looking over to the brunette and gasped himself. Terra's hand was coated in darkness, the aforementioned man looked at his hand in shock before he shook the darkness away and blocked one of Aqua's attacks just in time.

"M-Maybe it won't effect his Mark." Ventus concluded, although unsurely. Mai sighed and bowed her head, emerald orbs closed, "I sure hope you're right, kiddo."

After the match, Terra and Aqua stood before Master Eraqus yet again, Master Xehanort was stood beside him. "We have deliberated and reached a decision." Eraqus exclaimed, "Terra, Aqua, you both performed commendably. However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery." Mai and Aqua gasped, and Ventus shared a worried glance with the young brunette. "Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check. But, there is always next time. That is all."

Master Xehanort took that as his leave, he sent a nod towards Mai and Ventus, but only Mai returned the gesture, before he turned and started down the stairs that lead for the front doors. Eraqus continued, "Aqua, as our newest KeyBlade Master, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instruction." and with that, he took his own leave down the corridor that lead to his study.

Mai grabbed Ventus' wrist and ran over to Terra the second their Master left. "Hey..." Aqua started, unable to find any words. "Terra, I'm sorry." Ven said glumly. "Is there anything we can do?" Mai asked, hoping to help in some way. Terra simply shook his head and mumbled something under his breath before he started for the doors that lead to the garden, "Sorry...but I need some time alone." he said. Ventus tried to follow him but Mai stopped him just in time, and when he sent her a look she simply shook her head.

All was silent before an idea pooped into Mai's head and she ran in the direction Master Xehanort had left. "Mai, where are you going?" Aqua called after her, but the brunette simply ignored her and rushed down the stairs hoping to find the old man. Ventus sighed, "I guess I better go back to my room. See you, Aqua." he mumbled before he stalked to his his room silently.

"C'mon, c'mon..." Mai mused to herself as she searched for Xehanort, and when she finally found him he was with somebody, "Master Xehaort!" she called out. Xehanort and the black clad person turned in alarm, but when the elder saw who it was he relaxed, "My...what is it, Mai?" he asked in his old and crackled voice. When the brunette finally reached them she doubled over with her hands on her knees as she panted for breath.

"Miss. Linn?" Mai cringed when he used her last name and stood up straight, "Please, just call me Mai." she started before she turned to the figure beside him, their was a mask hiding his face an he wore a red and black body suit, that's how Mai could tell it was a boy, "Oh, is this your apprentice?" she asked and held out a hand, "I'm Mai. What's your name?"

The boy simply turned around and walked away without a word, strangely enough Mai felt a strange vibe with him, like he was familiar or something. Mai simply shrugged it off with a sigh and turned back to Xehanort, "Master, I came to talk to you about Terra's Mark." she said with a worried expression crossing her features, "He's really down about it and he shouldn't be! He would make an excellent Master, you know he would. So he slipped up, at the end of the day we all have darkness in our heart and it occasionally comes out. He couldn't stop it."

Xehanort listened to her silently, and when she was finished he placed a gloved hand on her shoulder, "I understand your concern, Mai. But there is nothing that I can do, perhaps you should take this matter up with Master Eraqus." Mai face fell completely at his words and she squirmed out of his grasp, "Are you sure? I mean no offence, but I can sense darkness inside of you, but yet you're a KeyBlade Master yourself." she concluded, her eyes flashing with worry for her friend.

Master Xehanort didn't take any offence by her words and bowed his head, "I am truly sorry. The only one who could change Terra's Mark is Eraqus, seeing as he is his Master." he said sadly. Mai dropped her shoulder and hung her head low, "Okay, I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

"Oh please, it's comforting having somebody to talk to when you only have one apprentice." Mai looked up at the old man, "So that boy was you apprentice?" Xehaort nodded, "Yes, I found him shortly after Ventus arrived here...By the way, how is Ventus?"

Mai got into her thinking pose, "Well, he's a lot stronger and outgoing than when you first brought him here." Xehanort smiled. "You should be very proud of him, Master Xehaort. It's just sad to know that he doesn't remember the man that helped him. He thinks that he lived here all his life...I really hate not being able to tell him where he came from." Mai felt a rain cloud over her head before Xehanort placed his hand on her shoulder again, "It is for his own safety. Remember that. Besides, he's happier here than he ever was while he trained with me."

The brunette looked up at him sadly before she nodded, "Thank you, Master Xehanort. I appreciate your time." She bowed as he took his hand back and started for the corridors again. Mai was just about to turn a corner when she looked back and frowned, Master Xehanort wasn't there anymore. 'An old man can't really walk _that_ fast, can he?' she thought to herself before she shrugged it off and skipped down the halls, but when she realized that this would be the first time she'd properly spoke to Eraqus for two whole years, she stopped short.

"Shit..." Mai muttered under her breath as she started a steady walk towards Master Eraqus' study. when Mai finally reached her destination, she took a huge breath before she raised a fist and knocked on the door. "Yes?" she heard from inside the room. "Okay," Mai whispered to herself, "It's now or never." she slowly pushed the door open and saw Eraqus sat at his desk.

When he looked up at her his face tensed, "Mai?" he asked in disbelief. Mai shut the door behind her and stood up straight, her eyes closed, "I came to ask you about Terra's Mark." she said quickly. Eraqus gave a small "Oh." and stood up from his seat, "I'm afraid I cannot change my decision-"

"Why not?" Mai asked impatiently, she didn't even want to be in the room, but she would do whatever it took to make Terra's dream come true. Eraqus sighed, "The darkness within his heart, it runs strong in his heart and I fear that if the time would come, he would not be able control it." Mai gradually opened her eyes as he spoke and a small frown tugged at her brows, "But Master Xehanort has a strong darkness, I can sense it! Why would he be a Master if darkness runs through _his_ heart?"

"Mai, that's enough!" Eraqus snapped, although slightly calm, "I have made my decision, he can partake in the next exam. Now, I don't want to hear any more of this." he said, causing Mai to glare at him slightly. "You mean you don't want me to care for my friends?" she exclaimed in a low voice that didn't seem her own. Eraqus seemed taken aback by her behavior, "M-Mai...?" he reached a hand out to her but the brunette was already pissed, "You've never cared for what I cherish."

Eraqus stared at Mai with wide eyes, she was looking straight through him with flames dancing in her emerald orbs. "What? Of course I care!" he yelled, he was starting to get fed up. "Y'sure as _hell _don't show it!" Mai snapped back. Eraqus shook his head to clear his thoughts and gestured to the door, "I don't want to speak of the matter any longer." The wavy brunette scoffed before turning to the door, but not before she kicked the nearest bookshelf, causing the books to fall off and land in a big heap on the floor, and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Mai stomped through the halls with a low growl trailing behind her, "Who the hell does he think he is?" she asked herself, "The first time we've spoke for two years and he throws it back in my face!" Mai swiftly kicked the wall beside her, making the pictures that was on it shake. Mai continued to growl, kicking a wall every now and then as she made her way to her room.

Ventus was just sat on his bed when he heard a loud thud and the pictures on his walls shook violently, and a few moments later he heard familiar footsteps stalking down the corridor. Hm, funny how you can tell who it is by their footsteps. Ventus shook the thought away and stood up, he walked over to his bedroom door and stood in the middle of the hallway, only to have a pair of arms wrap around his torso tightly. "Wha...?" his cerulean eyes landed on a familiar head of wavy chocolate strands.

"Hey, hey..." he cooed and wrapped his arms around her small form and let her quietly sob into his shoulder for a while before he led her into his room, shutting the door behind them. "What's up with you lately? You've been really depressed." he exclaimed as Mai sat down on his bed, she shook her head, "N-Nothing, I've just been a little confused, is all. I'll be fine tomorrow." she answered, avoiding from looking up into his eyes that were filled with worry as he came and sat next to her.

A fairly long silence passed between them before a light bulb switched on above Ventus' head, "Hey, maybe this'll cheer you up." Ven exclaimed, getting Mai's attention. He reached over to his bed side table and opened the draw to reveal two boxes about the same size, one covered in sparkly-blue wrapping paper and the other in green. "What's that?" Mai asked, hovering over his shoulder to get a better look, when she saw Ventus pick up the green box, she grinned. "It's nothing." He answered slyly and handed Mai the box.

The brunette took it without a second's hesitation and checked the bottom of the package, "Nothing, huh?" Mai wondered, Ven nodded. "Then why does it say 'Mai's birthday' on the bottom?" she asked smugly, watching as Ven's face turned a light shade of pink. "Aw, you're blushing." she cooed, pinching his cheek. Ventus swatted her hand away and pouted cutely, "Just open it." he said in a winy tone, Mai giggled before she ripped away at the wrapping paper and took the lid off of the black box that was in it.

Mai could do nothing but stare at the present with wide eyes, but her silence made Ven worry, and the smile on his face faltered, "What, don't you like it?" Ventus asked, disappointed. It took him so long to make it, and it would kill him to know that Mai didn't even like it. Mai shook her head and grinned, pulling out the necklace that was inside the box, she held it at eye level and stared at it in disbelief, the chain was twisted leather and the actual charm was a real emerald, glittering in the sun that shone through the window, it was the same shade as her eyes, "Ven...I-I don't know what to say." Mai exclaimed, Ventus felt his lips tug back in a smile, "Just say 'thank you'." he answered with a shrug.

"Thanks, kiddo." Mai said softly and leaned over to place a light kiss on his cheek, it wasn't the first time she'd done it, but whenever she did, Ventus always seemed to blush. Regardless, the blonde took the necklace and spun Mai around, she lifted her long hair and Ventus placed the leather around her neck, joining it at the lock and aloud the emerald to hang over where her heart was.

Mai looked down at the jewel with a smile before she turned around and caught Ven in a hug, which he happily returned with a chuckle. They sat like that for what seemed like forever before Mai's eyes caught sight of the blue box, a sly grin crossed over her soft features and carefully reached out for it, but Ven noticed what she was doing and grabbed the present before she had the chance to grab it and held it over his head.

"Aw," Mai pouted, looking up at Ventus with her killer puppy-dog eyes. "No." was all he said, a dark blush staining his face. "Just let me see what it is." Mai begged, reaching up to grab it, But the blonde held her back, he shook his head with a grin. "Oh, come on..._Please_."

Ventus simply ignored her begging and stuffed the box into his pocket, "There's no way you're getting this." he explained with a smug look on his face. Mai sighed in defeat before she looked down at the necklace around her neck, she held the emerald between her fingers, "Fine." she huffed, puffing her cheeks out and she stood up from the bed, "Can you pass me my blanket?" she asked, holding her hand out for the aforementioned material. Ventus raised a brow at her and scanned his bed.

"You didn't have your blanket here last night when we went to sleep." He answered. Mai gasped and switched her gaze to his window, looking out to the summit, "No! I must've forgotten it when we went to go watch the meteor shower." she said quickly before she burst out the door and headed towards the summit.

* * *

><p>"...Nobody Aqua, but you." Master Eraqus finished, he was standing before Aqua in the Grand Hall, telling her about her duties as a KeyBlade Master. The bluenette sent her Master a sad gaze before footsteps enveloped their ears, they turned their attention to the hall where the foot steps were coming from and saw none other than Mai run out.<p>

She stood on the balcony and looked down at the door, looking over her shoulder, she spotted Aqua and Eraqus looking at her, she gave the bluenette a cheesy grin before she jumped over the balcony, causing the two to shake their heads. Mai landed on all fours when she hit the ground like a cat, before she burst out the front door. She ran down the stairs, but skidded to a stop when she saw a familiar person sat on the steps.

Mai looked over her shoulder and her emerald gaze set on Terra, who was still sulking. "Terra?" Mai asked carefully, not wanting to upset him any more than he already was. At the sound of his name, the brunette looked up and forced a smile, "Hey, Mai." he greeted. The green eyed girl raised a brow at him and walked over to her brotherly figure.

"Terry, you okay?" she asked, dodging a swing from him thanks to the nickname. She giggled, causing Terra to chuckle, but when his gaze landed on the necklace around her neck, his eyes bulged, "Where the hell did you get that?" he asked in disbelief, Mai looked down at the accessory and grinning, "Ventus gave it to me." she answered.

Terra switched gazed between the necklace and her eyes before he felt a smile tug at his lips, "Wow, the kid did a good job. It's the same shade as your eyes." he pointed out, Mai simply rolled her eyes and stood up straight, "I kinda got that." she said before turning on her heel and started for the mountain trail, "I'll talk to you later Terry, I just gotta get something from the summit!" she called over her shoulder before she started sprinting, hearing a "'Kay!" as she left.

It took a few minutes for Mai to finally reach the summit, and when she did she searched frantically for her sky blue blanket, but felt her heart drop to her feet when she couldn't find it anywhere. "No, no, no, no..." Mai felt tears pricking in the corners of her eyes, panic striking her in the heart as she continued to search the area, praying to god that the wind didn't blow it away, and she'd never see it again.

Just when she seemed to give up hope, Mai felt something hot on her neck, "Looking for something?" a familiar voice asked, their hot breath sending shivers down her spine. Mai spun around sharply and glared at Kurayami, who was holding her blanket in his hand, Mai gasped and reached out for the material, only for Kura to hold it out of her reach.

"Kura." Mai growled, still reaching for her sky blue blanket. Kura smirked and grabbed her wrist before pulling her into him and wrapped his free arm around her waist, "You really want your blanket?" he whispered into her ear teasingly. Mai felt her muscles go numb as he spoke and let her arms drop to her side, "Y-Yeah," she answered shakily, all memories of her dream from last night hitting her like a ton of bricks.

"What makes you think it was a dream?" Kura asked, causing Mai to gasp. She pulled her head back and stared up at him - seeing as he was a few inches taller than her - and could see mischief dancing in his amber orbs, she tried to form words, but all that came out was gibberish. Kurayami smirked at her before he lowered his head, his lips grazing against hers, "Don't talk." he muttered before fully pressing his lips against hers.

Mai didn't bother struggling, instead just let it happen again. It was strange, she felt as though she wasn't supposed to like it...but she did. The brunette let her eyes close and brought her sleeved arms up to wrap around his neck, playing with a few ebony spikes on the back of his head.

Kura felt his smirk grow and pushed Mai against one of the rocky walls, the sudden impact caused Mai to gasp and Kura took the opportunity to invade her cavern, searching every nook and cranny and memorizing it all. Mai accidentally let a moan pass her lips, only causing Kura smirk to grow wider, if possible. Mai felt one of his hand trail up to where her necklace was, and he tugged at it a little, at this, Mai pulled away and gripped his hand that held her necklace, panting lightly.

"Don't." she said, barely above a whisper. Kura slowly nodded and let his hand drop before he nudged her face upward with his nose and kissed her open lips, not giving her a chance before he entered her mouth with his tongue again.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Mai heard the bell on top of the castle ringing, causing her and Kura to part. They stared at each other, panting, before she slid away from him, picking her blanket up off the floor - which dropped when they started kissing - and held the fabric in her hands, her eyes cast downwards. "I...I gotta go." was all she said before she darted for the mountain trail and headed back to the castle.<p>

'_What the hell just happened?_' she thought to herself, not looking where she went as she kept running, '_I kissed Kurayami...AGAIN!_'

Mai's lungs were starting to burn by now and her legs were aching, but she wouldn't stop until she reached the castle. She knew that the bell only rang in case of emergency, so she had to get there as soon as possible. Mai had never ran so fast in her life, not even when she would have to run from Terra for calling him 'Terry'...he was really slow.

Mai didn't even notice when she reached the courtyard, tears were flying off her face, not from sadness but from the cold wind slapping her in the face. Mai was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt herself bump into somebody, causing her to fall back onto her backside, and there was only one person who could stay standing when she ran into them.

Mai glanced up at Terra, who gave her a questioning look. She was about to open her mouth to speak, but the voice that reached their ears wasn't her own. "Terra!" The pair looked towards the castle doors to see Ventus running towards them like his life depended on it, as he ran he began to loose his footing and looked as though he was going to fall flat on his face, but he managed to catch his balance and placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

When he was ready to speak, Ven looked up and opened his mouth to speak, But Terra cut him off, "It's okay." he said, ruffling the blonde's spikes. Ven looked up at Terra with sad eyes, but Terra sent him a reassuring smile before he turned to Mai and held a hand out for her to take. Mai hesitated for a moment but grabbed his hand and was pulled to her feet, only to be pulled into a hug by Terra.

"T-Terra..." Mai wheezed, trying to pry his arms off her, "Choking...Not breathing." that caused Terra to chuckle and he released Mai, she gasped for breath - over exaggerating slightly.

Terra turned to Ven, "Take care of her." he said. Ventus stared at Terra in disbelief as he watched the brunette turn away from him, he pressed the button on his arm guard and a blinding light surrounded him, causing Ven and Mai to sheild their eyes. When the light died down, the teens stared at Terra with wide eyes. The older man was covered from head to toe in red and yellow armor with his KeyBlade in hand, he threw Earthshaker into the sky, only for it to return as a KeyBlade Glider in the shape of a motorbike.

"Woah." Both teens sighed in unison, completely bewildered as Terra jumped onto his Glider and flew around them. Mai watched as Ven took a few steps towards him, but Terra flew off into the sky, vanishing into a portal that he created.

Silence passed between the teens and Mai noticed that Ventus was thinking hard, "Ven," she started, reaching a hand out for him, but Ventus pushed button on his own arm guard and the same thing happened. Mai had to shield her eyes from the bright light and stared in astonishment, Ven's armor was mainly blue and yellow with a few red streaks, he was even amazed himself.

Mai gasped and gripped Ven's shoulder, knowing what he was going to do, "Ven, you can't!" she said in shock. Ventus turned to face her, "Mai, I have to bring Terra back before it's too late." he explained, causing Mai to raise a brow, "Too late for what?" She wondered. Ventus simply ignored her and summoned his own KeyBlade, throwing it into the air the same way Terra did, but when it came back it was like a skateboard instead of a motorbike.

The blonde jumped onto the Glider and held a hand out for Mai, "We'll go together." he smiled under his helmet, Mai thought it through for a moment before she nodded and took his hand and aloud him to pull her onto the Glider. Ventus pushed the button on Mai's arm guard and the same thing happened when him and Terra did it, but her armor was a lot more girly, it stuck out more at the hips and really showed off her figure, and on her helmet, instead of the horns facing upwards like the boys', they faced the back, and it's colors were dusty pink and violet.

"This is way to girly." Mai complained, causing Ventus to chuckle before he turned away from her, "Hold on tight!" he called over his shoulder, Mai nodded and wrapped her arms tightly around his torso, making the pair blush slightly, but shrugging it off, Ven hit the acceleration and the two flew off into the sky, but not before the brunette gave her home one last glance.

* * *

><p>THERE IT IS! I'm so sorry that it took so long to get up, and I think this has to be the longest chapter so far, 14,534 words! XD again, I'm so sorry, but I can tell you that the updates will be a lot quicker after christmas when I get my own laptop, 'cause at the moment I'm using my sisters and it ain't going down too good TT^TT<p>

Anyway, MWAHAHAHA, Kura you evil bastard.

Kura: KEY! GET THIS CRAZY BITCH AWAY FROM ME!

Mai: *Chasing Kura with a fly swatter* YOU PERVERT!

-_- and this is what I'm working with. Anyway, reviews are more than welcome, till next time guys.


	5. Chapter 5: A new world with Ven

Just keep moving forward. Ch. 5

Chapter 5: A new world...With Ven

**Author's note;**

THANK YOU FOR STILL READING! I'm grateful to those who have read and reviewed, and _**kim**_; for being my first reviewer EVER! Thank you oh so much. ^-^ Also a big thanks to _**Matty Brookes **_and _**Akum**_. I hope you're all enjoying the story so far, I know that I'm having a blast writing it, and I can tell you now; this isn't gonna be like most Birth By Sleep stories, oh no, this story has its own little twist that I hope you'll all enjoy...BUT! I'm afraid you'll all just have to wait for that ;D

Mai: Aaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwww...

...Anyway, I'VE ALSO GOT MY OWN LAPTOP, FINALLY! So the updates _should _be quicker, but then again I do have a small case of writer's block; so if I don't update for a while it's because I'm getting my monthly injection for the common writers' block. It's a _terrible _illness.

Mai: ...wwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...

Terra: To know if you suffer from writer's block; here are the symptoms to look out for: couch potato, stay in bed all day, small hand cramps that you over exaggerate; and the common 'broken computer'. If you suffer from any of these symptoms, then please refer to your closest doctor. Thank you.

Mai: ...wwwwwwwwwwwww-

**SHUT UP!**

Mai:...

Phew, thank you. Now who wants to do the disclaimer for this chapter?

Everybody:...

Aqua: Oh for god's sake, I'll do it!

Okay then, do it; Aqua.

Aqua: Ahem...Key does not own Kingdom Hearts; that includes me, Terra, Ven or Van; she only own Mai.

Perfect, thank you Aqua.

Aqua: ^-^ You're welcome.

ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

><p>"Oh..."<p>

"My..."

"God."

Mai and Ventus finished for each other, their minds too caught up in the beautiful sight ahead of them to care that they'd just left their home. The duo had only been in the Lanes Between for merely a second and they were already caught up in the sight of the stars.

Millions of worlds shining down on them in the black sky like lanterns...Just as Terra said; it was their heart glowing in the darkness. Speaking of the older brunette, Mai could've sworn she saw a small light moving away from them, her shielded eyes followed the light, only to see it heading towards the closest world. Mai tapped Ventus on his chest, seeing as her arms were still wrapped around his torso and she was slowly starting to slip off the Glider. "Ven,"

The blonde shook his head in order to shake himself out of his thoughts, seeming to be hypnotized by the stars, and looked over his shoulder, "What is it, Mai?" he asked, trying his best to keep control of the Glider without paying much attention to it. Mai nodded her head in the direction of the new world, "I think Terra might've gone there." she confirmed.

Ven turned his gaze to the world she suggested and saw that it was some sort of woodland. Deciding that it was better than floating in the Lanes Between forever; Ventus shrugged, "Okay. But, hold on tight." he called out over his shoulder. "W-Wait, Ven." Mai felt her feet slipping off the Glider completely, just barely losing her footing altogether, he did as she said and waited until she regained her footing before she nodded. "Ready?" Ventus asked, grinning wildly behind his helmet as Mai gave a small, "Set?" the smirk evident in her voice.

Ventus suppressed a chuckle before getting ready to press the accelerator, "Go!" he called out, his voice echoing behind him as they sped off towards the desired world with Mai screaming and laughing behind him; causing his shoulders to shake from amusement as a few laughs escaped his lips.

When the pair entered through the world's border they were caught by the Sun's burning rays, causing them to sweat lightly underneath their armour, "Uh, It's a little hot; dontcha think?" Mai questioned, already lifting one arm and lifted her helmet from above her head, her brown locks flew wildly behind her head from the wind that flew past them and clutched her helmet tightly under her arm so she wouldn't drop it onto the rocky wasteland below them.

Mai heaved in a breath of hot air and instantly regretted not bringing her cap, the light from the Sun wasn't only warm; but it was bright as hell! Mai squinted from the light, trying to get her eyes to adjust faster, and saw that they appeared to be flying over some sort of mountain.

The pupils in Mai's green eyes grew smaller, allowing her to see easier; and she noticed that there was a green forest up ahead, 'Hm, I wonder if we could go through there...' the brunette thought, fighting against the urge to bring her index finger up to her chin, she knew all too well that if she did then she would either lose grip of her helmet, causing it to drop to the ground at an unbelievable speed and brake into a million pieces when it collided with the rock, or she would lose grip of Ventus, sending _her _to the floor at about 100mph.

Speaking of Ventus, the blonde hadn't said anything since they passed the world's border. Mai raised a chocolate brow at the back of his head, but knowing that the boy was terrible at multitasking, so decided to shrug it off, she wouldn't want to knock him out of the little concentration he had.

The pair continued to fly above the mountain before Ventus caught site of a suitable landing spot; some sort of arch. The blonde wasted no time to get there; and when they were close enough to the ground they jumped from the Glider, landing on the top of the arch.

The second they made physical contact with the world their armour disappeared in a bright light, revealing the two in their previous attire. When the light had vanished, the pair fell the ground quite ungracefully and groaned from the heat that beamed down on them.

"Why does it have to be so _hot_?" Ventus complained, small beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Mai simply shrugged, her face filled with dirt from the rocky arch, "I dunno," her voice was muffled, "all I know is that there's a forest not far off, maybe we should search there." she suggested with no attempt to get up.

Ventus nodded and pushed himself up from the ground so he was sitting on his knees and unclipped the Land of Departure emblem from the straps that crossed around his chest, he then took off the black material and shook his shoulders, dropping something that was on his shoulders.

Mai took this chance to sit up, her left leg propped up against her chest and her left arm up on her knee. She gave the blonde a suspicious look; causing him to chuckle when he caught of it and showed the thing from behind his back; catching Mai's attention.

"When the hell did you have time to grab a backpack?" The brunette asked almost daringly. Ventus only laughed and shrugged his jacket off, "I picked it up before I ran out after Terra." He answered while rolling up the piece of clothing and stuffed it into the now open bag, along with the vest that was underneath it, leaving him in only the tight, turtle-necked; short sleeved thermo that he always wore under his clothes.

Mai sighed, shaking her lowered head back and forth with a smile playing on her lips, "You are such a drama queen sometimes." She muttered under her breath, causing the blonde to glare at her playfully, "Oh, and you're not?" he questioned.

Mai brought her eyes up to meet his and smirked, lifting herself to her feet, "I have the right. I'm a girl." She answered smugly and dusted off her butt. Ventus simply rolled his eyes and sighed, throwing the bag onto his shoulder and slipped his arms through the straps before he pushed himself to stand.

Ventus looked at Mai with a thoughtful expression, noticing the beads of sweat that built up behind her bangs, causing the strands of hair to stick together from the moisture and her eyes were clouded over with frustration as she struggled to get something that was stuck on her back, probably a rock.

A small chuckle built up in his chest; but he didn't release it, instead his cerulean eyes caught sight of the necklace that hung around her neck, its jewel shining brightly beneath the Sun's bright light.

He smiled, catching Mai's attention and saw a faint blush run across her cheeks, "What?" she giggled, dropping her hands to her side. Ventus opened his mouth to speak, but the voice that came out wasn't his own.

"_Heigh-ho~_

_Heigh-ho~_

_It's off to work we go~"_

The voices sang cheerfully from below them. "Really, that's your reply?" Mai joked, making her way over to the edge of the arch, "If this journey turns into a musical; I wanna know."

Ventus rolled his eyes from her sarcasm, but couldn't help but smile as he followed her steps, he gasped when he spotted seven little men carrying pick-axes over their shoulders, singing their song without a care in the world, smiles blooming on their faces as they marched underneath the arch; completely oblivious of the teens that watched them.

"Wow." Ventus breathed, completely amazed by the sight. The pair exchanged a glance, their jaws literally at their feet, Mai suppressed and giggle and ran to the other side of the arch, Ven not far behind her. Their bright orbs followed what appeared to be the leader and noticed them heading for a small doorway in the rocks, planks of wood framing around it.

"D'you think we should follow them?" Ven asked, his ocean gaze switching to Mai. She shrugged, unsure of the matter herself, "If you want. At the end of the day it's your call, kiddo." She said simply, straightening herself and whipped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her sleeve.

"Why don't you take those off?" Ventus asked, gesturing to the material around her arms, he noticed how the brunette body tensed at his question; raising his suspicion. Mai's arm was frozen in front of her face for a while before she brought it down, looking over to Ventus with a sheepish grin.

"I'm good." She declined his suggestion before she turned on her heel and dashed for a path that led down the mountain and to the little men's mine, "Now, let's go find those munchkins!" she shouted over her shoulder, amusement evident in her voice.

"Mai, wait!" Ven yelled and reached a hand out to her retreating form. When his voice caught her ears, Mai dug her heels into the ground and slid to a stop, dust flying everywhere as she looked over her shoulder.

Ventus sighed and started towards her with a steady pace, unable to run in the heat that was beginning to burn his back. Mai waited until he was next to her before she started walking herself, a silence waving over them; but it wasn't too long until that silence was broken.

The teens jumped in alarm when two creatures jumped out of the ground, they were a deep shade of blue and reached their knees, they also had strange, red stripes on their face for eyes. "Unversed." Mai growled under her breath, knowing all too well about them.

"Unversed?" Ventus' voice rang through her ears, bringing her attention on him. "Uh..." her face flushed, her fingers twitching before she looked back at the Unversed, already sinking down into her fighting stance, her sword sliding out of its sheath with a metallic scraping sound, echoing on the rocks that surrounded them.

Mai nodded, "I-It's just...a feeling I have." she answered. 'So I told a little white lie...' Mai pondered to herself, hearing Ventus summon his KeyBlade. The pair exchanged a quick nod before they took one Unversed each. While Mai slashed at the monster, she couldn't help but feel guilty about lying to him.

Sure, it was just a little one; but still! And it wasn't like she could tell Ven how she really knew about them, because then she would have to explain to him about Kura and travelling to different worlds.

Oh, come on! You really think that for the whole _two _years that Mai has been travelling to different worlds; she wouldn't come across an Unversed? Heck, she fought against them every time she visited a different world. Mai always simply shrugged them off though, she understood clearly that darkness and light were two sides of one coin, so in a world of light; there would have to be darkness.

That darkness was the Unversed.

Ven heaved a puff of air when he'd finished off his monster. Mai called it an 'Unversed', so he just went with that, he noticed that when he defeated the Unversed; it left behind what seemed to have been its current possessions that it must've stolen from the townsfolk, if there was a town around here; that is. Despite that, Ven did find it strange how she knew what they were, she said she 'had a feeling', but Ventus could tell that she was lying.

Ventus picked up the munny the creature had left behind and stuffed it into his pocket before looking up at Mai, she was still battling her opponent, and Ven couldn't help but notice how comfortable she was fighting it. As strange as it seemed; it was almost like...she'd done it before. Ventus shook his head, shaking away the thoughts and stood back, not wanting to get hit by her sword. He had once, and it stung like a bitch! He still has a scar from it along his chest.

Ventus shook his head again, he was getting side tracked again! Either way, Ventus kept taking steps backs, seeing as the Unversed was edging towards him, Mai still slashing at it.

With one last hit, the blue creature evaporated into thin air. Mai gave a triumphant 'Hmph' and turned to Ventus, she gave a sheepish smile when she saw the look he was giving her and stuffed her sword back inside its sheath before she picked up the munny the Unversed left behind and walked passed him, "We'd better follow those dwarfs before we lose 'em."She chuckled nervously and awkwardly handed him the munny, seeing as she didn't have any pockets on her, well, apart from the secret pocket in her sleeve, but that was currently holding her Wayfinder.

Ventus watched her walk with a raised brow as he stuffed the munny in his pocket before she came up to the cliff's edge, studying the distance to the ground before jumping over the edge. The action startled the blonde, causing him to run up to the edge, "Mai!" he yelled, leaning over the edge with his hands on his knees.

His cerulean eyes landed on the familiar brunette clad in red and heaved a sigh of relief. Mai looked up to him with a blank expression. "Don't _do_ that." He chuckled uneasily as he jumped over the cliff side himself, seeing as it wasn't that big of a jump to break his legs; although his feet did go fairly numb when he landed on the ground.

"Do what?" Mai asked, oblivious to what she'd been doing. Ventus sighed at her, although not in an offending way, and started towards the entrance of the mine, Mai close by his side. "Y'know, running off, jumping off cliffs..."

"You mean 'being independent'." Mai finished firmly, causing Ven to look at her strangely while she sent him a weak glare, "What? No! Where the hell did you get that idea from?" he asked. Mai simply sighed and lowered her head, shaking it from side to side, "Look, kiddo," she started, looking up to the entrance of the mine, "I don't need you to watch over my shoulder this whole trip. I can take care of myself."

Ventus was about to speak but was cut off when a huge monster blocked their path, it was as fat as it was tall; and it was taller than the teens put together, so you could probably imagine how fat it was. It consisted of the colours blue and black, and had the Unversed symbol on its jelly bowl that it called a belly; with the same eyes as the other Unversed.

"Another one?" Ven asked, already summoning his KeyBlade and sunk into his fighting stance. Mai nodded and unsheathed her sword, holding it strongly by her side, "Looks like it." She commented before the duo ran towards the Unversed.

* * *

><p><em><span>5 minutes later...<span>_

Mai and Ventus dragged themselves through the entrance of the mine, panting heavily and sweat pouring off their forms like a waterfall, despite how gross that was. The sun seemed to torment them outside as they fought against the Unversed, and what made matters worse; more of the little bastards kept popping up out of nowhere!

Mai sighed in relief when they walked into the mine, being blocked from the heat and the cool rocks acting like air conditioning was surely doing wonders for her. Ventus dropped the backpack that sagged down from his shoulders and fell to his knees, his hands on the cold rocks.

"Uh, the floor's cold!" Ven practically screamed, dropping to the floor completely and embraced the rocky ground. Mai heaved in a puff of the cool air and whipped away the sweat on her face with her arm guard, her emerald eyes gradually cast upward and her whole body froze, her face becoming bright red.

The reason for her action was the short men scattered all around the mine entrance, pick axes in their hands, but they were no longer working, instead they were looking at the dramatic duo. There were seven altogether, not helping the brunette's blush at all. "...Shit." Mai muttered, standing up straight with an uneasy chuckle.

"Ven." She hissed dangerously, kicking the boy in his side. Ven seemed completely unfazed by her violent action and simply rolled himself over, welcoming the coldness on his back with open arms, "What?" he asked, barely above a whisper, his eyes sliding shut.

"I think I found them." She stage whispered to him. Not fully understanding what she meant, Ventus raised a brow and tilted his head up, seeing seven little men upside down so it looked as though they were standing on the ceiling.

Ven instantly rolled over to get on his stomach, but his action caused him to roll into Mai's legs, knocking her off balance and sent her flat on her ass, "Ow, Ven~" she wined, small anime tears growing in her eyes as she rubbed her now sore butt.

"Sorry." Ven apologised and pushed himself onto his feet before holding out both hands for Mai; who took them greatly and allowed him to pull the brunette to her feet before picking up his backpack that was still on the floor and slipped his arms through the straps.

"Who are you?" One of the dwarfs asked, he wore a long, red shirt with a yellow hat and brown, floppy shoes with brown trousers, he wore glasses and a big, grey beard ran along his chin and melded with his side burns with a big, pink nose.

Mai couldn't help but gawk at him, being hypnotised by how he looked like Father Christmas in her books back home. "Ven," She whispered, leaning towards him so he could hear her better; but not taking her eyes off the dwarf, "I found Santa."

Ventus sighed; face planting himself before he dropped his arm back by his side to look at the short man who spoke to them, "I'm Ventus. Call me Ven." He introduced before looking over to the brunette beside him, waiting for her to say her name; only to notice that she was still pondering if it was really the man who gave her presents every year. Ven sighed again, "And that's Mai." He said, snapping the green eyes girl out of her thoughts.

"Diamond thieves! Take cover, ya fools!" The one with the brown hat yelled angrily, startling the teens. All of a sudden, all of the dwarfs started running madly around the mine entrance, their little feet pitter pattering on the rocks before they ran to a tunnel's entrance at the other side of the mine, seeming to lead deeper into the mine.

Mai noticed that one of dwarfs was actually running the wrong way, causing him to run straight into the rocky wall, he landed on his back in light consciousness as two diamonds fell out of the wall, one landing on each of his eyes.

That's when Mai noticed the countless diamonds in the walls, all different colours and sizes. 'So that was what the grumpy one meant by "diamond thieves".' She thought to herself before looking down at the tunnel opposite her and Ven.

"I-I'm sorry. We didn't mean to frighten you." Ventus called out to them and scratched his cheek awkwardly, sending the six dwarfs a _very _sheepish smile. Mai nodded to prove her friend's point and made her way over to the half-conscious dwarf that had the diamonds in his eyes, she knelt down in front of him and slowly pulled him to his feet, placing a hand on his back when he started to waver and carefully took the jewels out of his eye sockets before throwing them into a wheel-barrow full of jewels that was nearby.

The dwarfs watched Mai's actions wearily, but still didn't believe them to be good guys, except for the one that looked like he could fall asleep on the spot, he gave a small yawn before he spoke, "You mean, you're not here for our diamonds?" he asked in a sleep voice.

"That's not nice," Ven exclaimed, he sounded disgusted by their judgment of him. The tone in his voice caught Mai's attention; causing her to look at him whilst keeping a hand on the dwarf's back to keep him steady. "Treating us like we're the bad guys." The blonde finished.

"We're just trying to find our friend." Mai added, getting to her feet; but she instantly knelt back down again and kept the dopey dwarf steady, since he was starting for the ground again. He shook his little head, his big ear flapping from the motion.

Ventus nodded from Mai's words, and seeing as she was trying to keep the munchkin conscious, he spoke for her, "His name is Terra. He's dressed kinda like me," he started, gesturing to his clothes; seeing as they resembled Terra's clothes a lot more than Mai's kimono before he lifted his arm as high as it would go, "He's about yay tall-"

"Sounds like a tall tale to me!" The grumpy dwarf cut him off, startling him and Mai. "Go on, git!" He snapped, gesturing to the entrance of the mine rudely. Ventus furrowed his brows in confusion. "We don't – ACHOO – uh, we don't know any Terra." One of the other dwarfs said, his voice very nasal.

Ven rubbed the back of his head with a sigh, "Please..." he begged, dropping his hand by his side, "Could you come over here? I just wanna talk." Mai felt uneasy by his words, she could see him getting frustrated, she could also hear it in his voice.

The grumpy dwarf turned to the rest of the group, "Don't fall for it! Stay where ya are!" he demanded. That's when Mai heard Ven's last nerve snap, she jumped up from her spot, feeling guilty seeing as Dopey fell over, and started for the blonde.

"Look," he snapped; but before he could finish Mai gripped his arm, "Ven..." she started warily and kept a firm grip on him. She could feel him trying to pry his arm away from her but Mai wasn't letting go, she knew all too well what happened when someone pissed him off, it's not a pretty sight.

Ven turned his glare to her, making the brunette recoil in slight fear, "Ven, calm down." She exclaimed softly. Mai noticed that during that moment, the dwarfs were scared by the blonde's sudden outburst and retreated into the tunnel. She sighed, "You take care of Dopey," she started, pointing back at the dwarf that was struggling to get back to his feet before she turned back to him, "I'll go get the rest of them."

It took quite a bit of arguing back, but from Mai's words and the softness in her voice; Ven couldn't help but comply.

"Alright, I'll be back in a minute." She said, patting is shoulder gently before she headed off into the tunnel to find the dwarfs that ran away. Ventus watched her retreating form silently, his angry expression dropping before she was completely out of sight.

He sighed, even if it was Mai that pissed him off, she always had a way of stopping him from tearing the place down, even if it didn't calm him down completely Mai would always try to cheer him up, and he was grateful for that.

Ventus looked over at the dwarf he was left with before making his way over to him, the blonde gently picked him up and sat him into one of the nearby wheel-barrows so that he wouldn't fall over, "You really are Dopey, aren't ya?" he asked, only to receive no answer. Ventus sighed again and sat himself down next to the wheel-barrow silently and waited for Mai to return.

Mai scanned the heart of the mine with shifty eyes, it was a lot larger than the entrance, but the dwarfs seemed to have dug around the centre, leaving a lot of rock right in the centre of the area. "Hmm..." Mai's voice trailed off in a small echo, causing her to chuckle in amusement.

Mai was about to shout into the cavern to hear her echo again, but bit it back when she heard a small cry coming from her right. Mai felt a frown tugging at her brows as she pressed her back against the wall to her right and slid across it, carefully looking around the corner to see what the cry was.

"Crap..." The brunette muttered under her breath before she wielded her sword as quietly as she could, just around the corner were two Unversed; the first ones that her and Ven saw since arriving at the world. "This is gonna be a long day." Mai sighed and ran from around the corner, charging and the two Unversed that were slashing at a pile of boxes.

Since they weren't expecting the attack it only took a few hits before they vanished. The brunette sighed in relief and turned her attention to the boxes they were attacking, her index finger on her chin in her thinking pose.

Mai pondered for a moment before she reached out for one of the boxes and picked it up, only to drop it again as she jumped back, the leader of the dwarfs ran out from underneath the box; startling the brunette, and started running deeper into the mine.

Mai groaned as she watched his retreating form, "Great," she groaned, throwing her arms around, "Not only are there Unversed down here, but I also gotta catch you lot?" she yelled after him, not half expecting a reply, which she didn't get.

Mai sighed, her shoulders dropping before her emerald gaze caught sight of a rope, she glanced up at it; a light bulb switching on above her head and a smirk played its way onto her rosy lips.

* * *

><p><em><span>45 minutes later...<span>_

Ventus was starting to get slightly anxious now, it seemed like hours since Mai first left to retrieve those dwarfs; but one thing kept him knowing that she was okay, the fact that her screams and swears could be heard through the whole mine brought a gleam of amusement to his eyes, but the last time he'd heard anything was about ten minutes ago.

Ven glanced up at Dopey for what seemed the millionth time; only to see him doing the same thing as when Mai left; looking at multiple diamonds that were lying around, he would look them over once and either put it back or squeeze it and then put it back.

The blonde sighed, he was currently sitting where he had been forty-five minutes ago, his legs were crossed pretzel styled and his chin was resting on his left fist while in his other hand was one a diamond that Dopey gave him, it was fairly medium sized; big enough to fit in his hand and it was a deep pink.

Ven sat in silence, listening to Dopey as he threw diamonds around; before he dropped the diamond in his hand and pushed himself to his feet, although they were slightly wobbly from not being in use for a while but he soon got the hang of it. "Hey, Dopey," He called out, catching the dwarf's attention. "I'm gonna go search for Mai." He said in a strained voice as he stretched his arms above his head.

Dopey stood there for a moment, a diamond in his hand, before he shook his head; his floppy ears flying back and forth. Ventus raised a brow at him, "What do you mean, 'no'?" he asked, and as if to answer his question he heard a light grunt, closely followed by a number of swears getting closer to the entrance of the mine.

A series of grunts and groans followed soon after, causing Ven's face to flush a light shade of red and held his hands up to his ears in order to block out the...sounds. It didn't take long though; until a familiar green eyed brunette stepped back through the tunnel, dirt splattered on her face and clothes and a burn or two on her arms and legs, she seemed to be trudging something along.

"What the hell...?" Ven questioned, dropping his hands from his ears as he stared at her damaged form with wide eyes. It turned out that she was dragging along a piece of rope from behind her; and one by one the six dwarfs came out of the tunnel, all with piece of rope tied around their torsos; apart from the last one, Grumpy, he was tied at the torso, wrists and ankle with his own hat stuffed inside his mouth, muffling his complaints.

Dopey began to jump up and down excitedly when Mai arrived with the same light blue diamond in his hand. When the brunette reached the centre of the entrance, though, she dropped the rope and collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.

Ven gasped from her action and started for her, but Dopey beat him to it. The dwarf jumped over to her and leaned down in front of her face, in response; Mai looked up at him tiredly and smiled, bringing up an aching hand and patted his head.

"Mai, what the hell happened to you?" Ventus asked in alarm, kneeling beside the brunette and brushed her already greasy bangs from her face. After her sweating all day he wasn't surprised about the state of her hair, but he didn't care about that, Ventus rolled her over and sat her up gently, letting her head rest against his chest.

"Uh," Mai groaned uneasily, her brows furrowing together in a frown, "Maybe I should've let you get them." She concluded groggily. Ventus chuckled at her and tried to wipe away the dust that clung to her face, only for Mai to swat his hand away. She rolled out of the blonde's grip so she was laying on her stomach again and propped herself up onto her knees.

"_That _little shit," Mai hissed dangerously, pointing at the dwarf that was practically mummified by rope, "Threw a fucking **PICK-AXE AT ME!**" she screamed, getting up to her feet and started for the dwarf.

Ventus stared at Mai with wide eyes before he quickly jumped to his feet and ran to her, just as Mai was about to land a punch on the grumpy dwarf, Ventus swooned in front of her and ducked down, lifting her over his shoulder. "Wha-?" Mai glared at the back of his head, "Ven! Put me down!" she demanded, Ventus simply shook his head.

"Not until you calm down." He said, a smug expression on his face, Mai gave a small 'Hmph' and crossed her arms over her chest, blowing a strand of hair out of her face, "Whatever." She mumbled, causing Ventus to roll his eyes before he looked back down at the six dwarfs that were tied up, Dopey starting to untie them.

"Come on, I'm telling you, we're no thieves." Ven said, trying his best to persuade, despite the fact that they were tied up at the moment. "Ha! That's what they all say." Grumpy yelled angrily. Mai sighed, Dopey really had to untie _him _first, didn't he? "Well, we're onto ya!" He finished.

Ventus sighed, a frown tugging at his brows, "Fine, I get it. You want us to leave, we'll leave."

"Wha-? **VEN!**" Mai screamed at his back, "After all the shit I just went through to get them?" she was extremely pissed, Ventus could tell, but if they weren't going to talk, he couldn't force them. Maybe Mai could, but he wasn't planning in dealing partnership with a murderer.

"I'm sorry, Mai." He shrugged and turned for the exit. Mai struggled against his hold as he made his way towards the entrance of the mine ignoring her swears completely. Ventus was just about to step back out into the beating Sun before he turned back; and Mai couldn't help but notice the smile that grew on Dopey's face when he turned back.

"Oh, but can you tell me where we can find some other people around here?" He asked politely, Mai sulked against him again before he lifted her off his shoulder and placed her back on her feet, "Ah, my stomach..." Mai moaned, rubbing her torso tenderly. Ventus just rolled his eyes at her for the third time and turned to the dwarfs.

The leader of the group stood on his tip toes and pointed at the entrance, "There's a castle beyond the chorus – I mean, the forest." He answered, correcting himself automatically. Ventus nodded, "Got it. Well, thanks." He then turned back around to the entrance and started for the light that shone through the opening.

Mai watched Ventus' retreating form until he was outside before she turned back to the dwarfs, "Well, see ya." She waved, mainly at Dopey, and started for the entrance herself, but as she left; she failed to notice Dopey skip to the entrance after her, stopping when he knew it was no use in going after her. A solemn expression crossed his features as he dropped his shoulders, the diamond that he wanted to give to thank Mai for her kindness slipping from his grasp, only for it to land on his toe.

Mai groaned from the heat that seemed to hit her like a tsunami, the bright light from the sun blinding her for a moment before she finally adjusted to the bright rays. "I guess this means we're heading to that castle, huh?" Mai asked, raising her hand in attempt to block the sun from her eyes.

Ventus nodded, his cerulean eyes scanning the rocky wasteland, "Yeah, but where's the forest?" he asked, placing his hands behind his head. Mai grinned and dropped her hand, "Don't sweat it, kiddo." She said smugly, causing him to look at her. Mai placed a hand on his shoulder and pointed to herself with her thumb, "Momma knows where to go." She winked at him, causing the blonde's face to blush beat red.

Mai simply chuckled from his response and tapped his shoulder before starting down the mountain path; but when a slight jingling of glass reached her ears, Mai paused mid-step. Ven noticed her sudden action and walked over to her side with a raised brow, "Mai?"

"Oh, shit..." The brunette muttered under her breath, moving her torso side to side; only to hear more glass, "Ah, _fuck_!" she hissed and bent over at the hips, her hands dipping into the backs of her kimono as her hair fell forward, making her job a lot easier.

Ventus raised a brow at her, fighting down the blush that ran along her cheeks from her current position, sure; he knew how flexible she was; but he didn't really need to see it! Ven sighed and listened as the glass jiggling became more frequent, raising his suspicions until small shards of glass slid out of Mai's kimono.

Mai groaned in annoyance as she stood up straight, a few shards of glass in her hand, "Aw, crap!"

"What the hell is that?" Ven almost dared to ask, a little afraid to know why she was carrying glass shards. Mai turned to him and frowned, "This _was _my Moogle Shop crystal." She answered with a hint of frustration in her voice, "It must've smashed in my pocket when I was chasing those damned dwarfs." Mai growled and threw the shards to the floor.

"...You have a pocket on your back?" Ventus asked, causing Mai to glare at him, "Our only source of food and water is broken and all you care about is that I have a secret pocket?" she gave him a disbelieving look; causing the blonde to shrug.

"Well, we have munny. So, it shouldn't be a problem, they're always plenty of Moogle Shops around, they're everywhere. Heck, there was even one in the mine!" Ven exclaimed, gesturing back to the mine.

"But what if we're in desperate need of one and it just happens to be that there isn't one around?" She argued; causing the blonde to sigh, "Then I would keep you safe until we found one." He answered as if it were nothing, but Mai found a small blush forming on her cheeks.

The brunette sighed, finding it to be too hot to argue with him and started down the mountain trail, Ventus chuckling as he followed beside her.

A small, but comfortable silence passed through the pair before Mai stopped dead, "Oh!" she exclaimed and reached into her boot.

"Oh, jeeze. What're you doing now?" Ventus asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose in slight agitation, at this rate, they'll never find Terra. It wasn't long though until Mai straightened herself, a small black pouch in her hand that she took out of her boot.

Mai grinned from ear to ear with closed eyes as she handed Ven the pouch, "It's all the munny that I collected from the Unversed in the mine." She answered his unanswered question happily.

"Oh." Was all Ventus could say, he felt guilty about Mai having to fight against the Unversed in the mine, and the fact that she was still covered in dirt and burns didn't help either. Mai could sense his distress straight away and couldn't help but smile.

"Look, kiddo," She started, holding his chin between her index finger and thumb so that he couldn't cast his gaze anywhere else, "I told you earlier, I don't need you to look over my shoulder all the time. I'm a big girl, I can take a few punches." She said; her voice soft and reassuring.

Ventus stood silent for a while, looking down at her for a moment before he nodded. Mai smiled at him before she patted his cheek softly and started down the path again, unsheathing her sword.

"Hey, kiddo, y'might wanna summon your KeyBlade. I can't guaranty there won't be any Unversed down this path!" She called over her shoulder. Ventus nodded at her retreating form before he shrugged off the backpack, stuffed the munny away safely and slipped it back on before he ran after Mai, summoning his weapon as he went.

* * *

><p><em><span>15 minutes later...<span>_

Mai was right, there were tons of Unversed along the mountain trail; and for that they were grateful that they weren't alone. Mai fell on her ass a few times, but other than that, neither of them was injured, although as they kept fighting Unversed, the temperature seemed to rise by a thousand degrees!

The duo walked through the forest, finding shelter from the heat as the trees' branches blocked the Sun's rays until they came to an opening. Trees surrounded the area, protecting a small cottage as a small stream with a bridge flowed alongside them, the bridge leading to what appeared to be the darker part of the forest.

Mai flinched when she saw the dark, dead trees – a large water bottle in her hand as she swallowed the now warm liquid. But her attention was soon caught by a yellow butterfly that flew by the pair. Mai smiled at the small insect as she screwed the cap back onto the water bottle before she passed it back to Ventus, who took a few gulps himself before stuffing it back into his backpack.

He smiled as he watched Mai walk after the butterfly, her hands clasped behind her back as she made no rush to follow the insect, her emerald eyes never leaving it as it landed on a nearby branch. Ventus chuckled inside his head, knowing all too well about how Mai felt towards those free, innocent creatures; so he decided to let her be.

Ven switched his gaze from the hypnotised brunette to the cottage to his left, "Huh?" he questioned as he made his way towards it, stopping in front of one of the windows. The blonde looked over the straw roofed cottage before he leaned over with his hands on his knees as he peered through the window.

"This must be where those little men live." Ventus said mostly to himself; seeing as all of the furniture inside was miniature sized, even the door. Mai didn't hear a word that he said, though, becoming too engrossed in the beautiful creature in front of her.

A small smile played on her lips as she continued to watch it go about; until a heart wrenching scream reached her ears, causing the butterfly to fly away into the trees. Mai turned on her heel and scanned the area, "What was that?" she asked Ven.

The blonde ran up to the bridge that lead into the darker forest, "I dunno, but it came from in there." He answered, summoning his KeyBlade before he turned to Mai, "Wait here, I'll be back." He said before he started for the forest.

"Ven, wait!" Mai called out, stopping him in his tracks and caused him to turn around. "Let me come with you." She asked confidently, her sword already in hand. Ventus looked back to the forest before he turned his cerulean gaze on the brunette, "No, you'll get too scared. I don't want you to get lost." He answered while doing his best t try and not offend her.

Mai sighed before she put her sword away, knowing that Ventus was right, "Okay. But, hurry back." She demanded, causing Ven to chuckle, "Don't worry, I will." He grinned, bringing a smile to Mai's face.

He gave her a confident nod, one that she returned before he dashed off into the dark forest to see who was in trouble; leaving the green eyed brunette on her own.

Ventus looked around the forest as he ran through it, knowing all too well that Mai wouldn't be able to stand it, and even Ven had to admit that it was quite eerie; in fact, he was starting to get slightly scared himself.

Ven simply shrugged it off though and continued forward, not bothering to stop at any creak or snap he heard. The blonde heaved a small sigh of relief when he spotted a girl in a heap on the floor; crying. Well, he wasn't relieved that she was distraught, just that he'd found the source of the scream, is all.

He was just about to take a step towards her, though, when he remembered reading one of Mai's horror stories back home; that surely shit him up a bit, he remembered that he couldn't sleep for a whole week without somebody there after he read that...that person being Mai; he never went anywhere in the dark without her.

Ventus felt his eyes become wide like dinner plates when he saw the ebony hair atop her head, reminding him of the character of the story; the sweet, innocent little girl with black hair...in the end she killed everybody, basically.

Ventus mentally groaned to himself and swallowed the rather large lump that formed in his throat, sucking up all his courage and stepped over to the sobbing girl, "Wh-What's wrong?" Ven carefully asked, mentally kicking himself for stuttering.

At the sound of his voice, the girl's sobs stopped, although her voice broke as she spoke, "Th-These horrible trees – They tried to g-grab me." She answered before breaking into a fit of sobs all over again.

Ventus sighed, understanding that she was nothing to be afraid of, just a scared girl who was lost. The blonde held a hand out for her, "Ah, it's okay. You were probably just seeing things." He concluded, causing the girl to stop sobbing altogether and turned around to face him completely, showing Ven her hazel eyes. "It happens to all of us when we're afraid."

The girl pondered on his words for a moment before a small smile grew on her face, she happily took his hand and allowed him to help her up. Despite the situation, Ventus couldn't help but blush from the contact, seeing her properly; he saw that she was probably about sixteen, if so; older, and she was quite pretty, too.

"Oh, thank you. I feel quite better now." She said in a soft tone, her high spirited personality shining through her fear, "I'm sure I'll get along, somehow."

Ventus smiled at her, as if to raise her confidence, but it didn't exactly work. Ventus felt embarrassed by his attempt and rubbed the back of his golden locks sheepishly and allowed her to speak, "But...I do need a place to sleep at night." She then looked up at Ven hopefully, "Would you know anywhere I might?"

"Well," Ventus started, gesturing to the entrance of the dark forest where he came from, "I saw a house just up ahead, my friends back there at the moment and I had to go back to her anyway. C'mon, I'll take you there." He offered with a grin, placing his hands behind his head.

The blonde was just about to start walking back when he remembered about his formalities, "Oh, I'm Ventus. Ven for short." He said, gesturing to himself with his thumb.

"Thank you, Ven." The girl smiled a small but happy smile, she clasped her hands together above her chest, "My name's Snow White." She introduced, lifting her skirt slightly in a small curtsy. Ven blushed from how formal she was and could only rub the back of his head again.

"Great. Let's get going!" Ven concluded, hoping to get back to Mai, he knew that she would get worried about him and he didn't want to keep her waiting. But just as Ventus and Snow White were about to start walking again, the tree next to them suddenly came to life, it reached out for the young girl; but Ventus stepped in front of her and blocked the attack, causing the tree to return to normal.

"Stay close, Snow White." Ven ordered as he began to walk again. Snow nodded and ran to catch up with him, latching onto his arm in case she got lost within her fears. When they'd taken a few more steps, though, a few Unversed popped out of nowhere. Ven sighed and shrugged himself out of Snow Whites grip before he charged at the Unversed, his KeyBlade in his hand.

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minute later...<span>_

Mai continued to bite her thumb nail as she stood inside the cottage, pacing back and forth, it'd been quite a while since Ven went into the forest to find the source of the scream; and she was starting to get nervous. She wanted to go and look for him, but she had two main reasons not to: one; Ven told her to stay by the cottage, and two, BECAUSE SHE WAS TERRIFIED OF THE DARK!

Mai let out a shaky breath, she couldn't let herself get carried away, Ven would be fine; she knew that. "I just can't help but...worry." Mai said quietly to herself. The brunette took her thumb out of mouth and replaced it with her index finger; since she didn't have much of a nail left on her thumb.

A light rustling of leaves and snaps of branches from outside caused the green eyed beauty to flinch, her vision darting towards the door until the entrance opened to reveal a familiar blonde, "Mai!" Ventus exclaimed happily.

Ventus couldn't hold back the smile when he saw the state Mai was in, and that was just him being gone for a few minutes. His cerulean eyes looked back over to Snow White – who was latched onto his arm – and grinned, "That's my friend, Mai." He said, gesturing to the brunette with a nod of his head.

Snow White cast her hazel eyes onto Mai and smiled, "Oh, she looks delightful." She concluded, causing Ventus to chuckle, he looked back over to Mai and grinned, seeing the relieved look on her face. He shrugged Snow White from his grasp and made his way over to the brunette, "You okay?" He asked, as if already knowing the answer.

Mai sighed and slowly nodded her head, "Yeah, just a little worried there for a sec; is all." She concluded, causing Ventus to smirk, "Y'know, I don't need you watching over my shoulder this whole journey." He said smugly, quoting the exact words that she said earlier.

Mai playfully scoffed at him and lightly punched his shoulder, causing the blonde to chuckle and hold his shoulder in mock hurt; and it didn't take Mai long until a small laugh escaped her own lips.

Ventus turned back to Snow White with a smile, "I'm pretty sure you'll be safe here...But sit tight while we go look around." He said, gesturing to the green eyed girl beside him. "Wha...?" Mai didn't enough time to protest before Ventus darted for the door.

"Ven!" She called after him, her hand reaching out for his retreating form. She pulled her hand back though when she turned to Snow White, "Hm, we didn't even get to introduce ourselves." She said rather sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck as she held out a hand, "The name's Mai."

Snow White gave a small smile and clasped the younger girl's hand, "I know, Ventus spoke quite fondly of you." Her words caused a light blush to run across Mai's cheeks. "My name is Snow White." She shook Mai's hand.

The brunette nodded, "It's nice to meet you, Snow White. But I have to go." She said while pointing to the miniature door. Snow White nodded and released the brunette's hand before she watched her run out of the door after Ventus.

Mai carefully shut the door behind her, the Sun's rays being partially blocked by the trees, but they still got through, causing the brunette to squint her eyes as she made her way over to Ventus; who was waiting for her by the bridge.

"There you are." He complained with his arms crossed over his chest. Mai simply rolled her eyes at him as she walked onto the bridge, when she was in front of him the pair began to head for a small clearing between two small hills.

The blonde pondered for a moment before he spoke, "By the way," Ven started, "Where's your blue blanket?" he asked, fully confused, she had it when they left Land of Departure; but she didn't have it now. Ven began to think that she might've dropped it in the Lanes Between, but that thought evaporated when Mai reached into her kimono, pulling out a corner of her blue blanket.

The blonde felt his cerulean eyes grow wide, "You're kidding me." He asked in disbelief, "When did you manage to do that?" he questioned, still unable to believe that her blanket was wrapped around her body underneath her kimono.

Mai giggled as she stuffed the material back into her clothing, "When you went to go find Snow White. Before then, I just stuffed it down there." She said with a shrug, making the hand motions of stuffing the blanket down her shirt.

Ventus felt the heat rush to his face as he paused mid-step, "O-Oh...S-so that's why they..." He stuttered gesturing to her chest before he quickly brought his hand back, "Not like I was looking! I-I just...y'know..." he rubbed the back of his head during his rant, his face reflecting that of a tomato, nothing could save him now; he'd never felt so embarrassed in his life...well, what he could remember, that is.

Mai simply giggled at his antics and turned around fully to face him and patted his cheek lightly, "Ven, don't sweat it." She said calmly before she turned on her heel and started for the direction they were originally walking, "Just try not to be so perverted next time!" she called over her shoulder, the smirk evident in her voice.

Ventus growled under his breath, although playfully, and dashed for her. Mai saw this and let out a small scream as she ran away from him, both of them laughing all the while as Ven chased her for reasons that they forgot within five minutes.

* * *

><p><em><span>25 minutes later...<span>_

Mai and Ventus walked back into the cottage after searching the area for any Unversed that were hiding around, Ventus holding a hand to his cheek the whole time in attempt to sooth the pain from the stinging, red line across his cheek where a branch slapped him right across the face.

Mai couldn't hold back the triumphant grin on her face as she walked into the cottage, "The coast is clear! Not a monster in sight – huh?" the brunette jumped back in alarm, causing her to knock into Ventus; who fell to the ground, taking Mai with him.

The pair fell to the ground with a loud _**THUD**_, Ven landing on his back while Mai landed on his stomach, her long chocolate locks tickling his nose. "Ow..." Ventus groaned in pain, "Mai...get off." He said, attempting to push the girl away as she sat up on his stomach, but failed. Ven propped himself up onto his elbows and glared at the back of Mai's head. Just as he was about to speak; though, he heard a painfully familiar voice.

"Couldn't stay away, couldja?" Grumpy yelled, glaring daggers at the teens, "An' who invited you in, ya rotten thieves?" he asked, daring the teens to answer. Ventus flinched when he heard a low growl coming from Mai; and just as she was about to pounce on the little bugger; Ventus wrapped his arms securely around her waist and pinned her back.

"Mai," Ven whispered in her ear in a calm way as she kicked and squirmed in his grasp, "Don't." He said firmly. Mai heaved a heavy sigh but did as he said, she relaxed in his grip and rolled off of him so he could stand before she pushed herself onto her feet.

The pair looked at the seven dwarfs to see Snow White standing in the middle of their little huddle, although Dopey was outside of the group. When the silly dwarf spotted Mai, he jumped up and down happily and ran over to her side, only to trip halfway and land flat on his face.

The brunette saw his fall and immediately came to his aid, helping him stand on his own two feet.

"Oh no, they're no thieves." Snow White concluded, catching the attention of everybody in the room, "They rescued me." She said with her hands clasped together above her chest. The head dwarf turned his head in Snow White's direction slightly, but kept his eyes on Ventus.

"You fussn't be mooled – uh, mustn't be fooled by them, princess." He said, a frown tugging at his brows. "Princess?" Mai blurted out, flinching back when her little outburst caught everyone's attention. Grumpy's glare intensified, "Just go on an' git!" he demanded, shaking his fists in fury.

Snow White looked heart broken by his words, framing her face with her hands, "Please don't send them away." She pleaded, "You see, they helped me when I was lost, and oh, so very frightened." Snow White finished, her hands moving to hover over her heart.

Although Ventus was the one that really saved her; Mai didn't really see the point in voicing the fact that all she did was sit in the dwarfs' home, she was also too engrossed with keeping Dopey upright.

"What happened?" Ventus asked, walking over to the dwarfs and Snow White. Mai decided to follow his action so she picked up the silly dwarf and lifted her onto her shoulders, keeping a grip on his hands so he wouldn't fall off.

"Well," Snow White started, silence creepily enveloped the room as she explained, "I was picking flowers by the wood, and there was a stranger there. He had a sword, but it was like a key – and then these monsters came and –" she looked like she was too scared to continue, her hands placed over her heart in search of comfort.

Ventus pondered for a moment, his arms crossed over his chest as he went into deep thought, "A sword like a key..." he repeated, making sure he heard her right. The second the words left his mouth; he and Mai stared at each other with wide eyes, "Terra!" they shouted in unison, although the only person who seemed to hear them was Dopey; because the others didn't even look their way.

"Ya mean," The head dwarf started, "This stranger saw ya and set his horde of evil demons after ya?" he confirmed, making Ven's blood boil, "Terra would never do that!" he yelled, his teeth gritting together in attempt to calm his nerves.

Snow White flinched from his sudden outburst and held an apologetic smile, "Oh, of course. I'm sure he wouldn't. Not if he's someone who's your friend." She said, nodding to the teens. "Princess, you trustn't be so musting – er, trusting." The head dwarf warned as they all turned towards the teens.

"He's a-lyin'! Mark my words." Grumpy shouted, causing Ventus to wince back from all of their words; but it didn't help his anger any. Mai felt her own blood begin to boil, the adrenaline rushing to her heart and making it hurt; but she took no notice of it.

Ventus growled, "I'll prove it!" He shot back before he turned and dashed for the door. "Ven, wait!" Mai called after him, she was about to run after him; but remembered that she still had Dopey on her shoulders. The brunette quickly set him down and was about to make a dash for the door when she felt something tug at the skirt of her kimono.

Mai cast her emerald gaze downward to see none other than Dopey tugging at her clothing. "What is it?" She asked hurriedly. When Dopey saw that he'd caught Mai's attention, he dropped his hand and took the dark purple hat off of his head and began to rummage around through it.

Mai heaved a small sigh of relief when Dopey pulled his hand out of the hat, a light blue diamond in his hand. He held the diamond up to Mai with his usual smile, the brunette muffled a gasp and knelt down to his level, "Is that for me?" She asked, although her voice was a little rushed; she couldn't help but pull a smile.

Dopey nodded, stretching out the arm that held the diamond further. Mai gave a light giggle before she took the jewel, it fit perfectly in her hand and the shape was quite familiar, "Thank you." She nodded to show her appreciation before stuffing the diamond into the back of her kimono.

When her hands were back by her side she looked at the childish dwarf with a thoughtful expression, "You really are quite dopey, aren't you?" she asked, not half expecting an answer; which is why she was shocked when the dwarf held his index finger to his chest, "D-...Dopey." he repeated in a child like voice.

Silence enveloped the room from his words, causing him to shrink back. Mai simply stared at him with wide eyes and her mouth agape before she chuckled, Dopey smiled at her reaction and pointed to the door behind her, Mai followed his hand and gasped, remembering where she had to be.

Mai looked back at Dopey quickly before she stood to her feet, "I have to go. I'll see you soon." She said, aiming her words at everyone as she dashed for the door, Dopey waving after her with a cheesy grin on his little face, the motion of his hand causing the long sleeves on his shirt to slap him in the face.

Mai sprang out of the door of the cottage only to be met by Ventus running towards her, "Mai, c'mon." He called impatiently, when he reached her, the blonde grabbed her wrist and started for the entrance of the dark forest in a mad dash.

"Ven..." Mai whined lightly, seeing where they were running; but despite that, she continued alongside him. Ventus looked back to her and dropped his grip from Mai's wrist to her hand before he brought their locked hands in her line of sight, "Whatever you do, don't lose sight of me." He said in a reassuring; but firm voice.

Mai hesitated for a moment before she nodded, tightening her grip on his hand. The gleam in Ven's eyes showed Mai that he was pleased by her answer, and when they entered the dark forest, he pulled Mai closer to him.

A small whimper escaped the brunette's lips, causing her to instantly clench her jaw shut to prevent any more cries escaping. Ventus led them deeper into the forest, giving Mai's hand a tender squeeze every now and then to reassure her.

Ven could vaguely remember where they were by now, it was the heart of the dark forest, he knew because there was a lot more open space and only a few trees. "We're almost out." Ven called over his shoulder, hearing a small, "'Kay." from Mai.

The pair ran past a few more trees before Ven felt Mai's hand slip from his grasp, a scream following shortly after. The blonde turned on his heel and gasped at what he saw, a humungous, walking tree the Unversed insignia on its front; it had the usual red streaked eyes and strange, purple containers attached to its branches.

Ventus glared at the Unversed when he saw Mai hanging from one of its branches by her ankle, "Mai!" he called out in alarm, already summoning his KeyBlade, "Don't worry, I'll get you out of there!"

Mai unsheathed her sword and positioned it firmly in her hand before she looked down at the blonde, "Ven, don't you dare worry about me right now." She yelled to him in a firm tone, "Just take down the Unversed!" Mai gave a girly grunt as she lifted her upper body, her blade in hand and started slashing at the tree's branch that held her ankle, being careful not to cut her own foot off.

"But-" Ven started, hesitating to attack the enemy.

"Just do it!" Mai shouted at him, dropping her torso to glare at the blonde. Ventus reluctantly nodded before he charged at the Unversed and attacked its legs with his KeyBlade. Mai watched him attack the giant tree with a triumphant smile before she went back to cutting at the branch; if only it wasn't so thick!

Ventus dodge rolled away from the Unversed when it swung a branch at him, when he regained his posture; the blonde pointed the tip of Wayward Wiing at the tree, "Fire!" he called, causing his KeyBlade to light up before a ball of fire flew out of the tip, towards the Unversed.

"What?" Mai screamed in alarm, dropping her torso again to stare at the ball of fire that hit the Unversed in its middle; that being rather close to where she was. The brunette gave a small squeak as she recoiled away from the heat that emitted from the attack, she hands grabbing her hair so it wouldn't catch fire.

When the attack was over, Mai looked down at where the fire ball hit the Unversed and heaved a sigh of relief, she thought that the attack would send the whole thing on fire; but she seemed to forget that this wasn't a normal tree.

"Sorry." She heard Ven call out, causing her to chuckle before she went back to her previous actions.

Ventus flinched from his bad aim, causing him to almost hit the brunette, he apologised to her quickly before he went back to attacking the Unversed. He ran up to the tree and jumped before he started swinging his KeyBlade at its trunk.

The Unversed seemed completely unfazed by the attack and swung its branches in unison. A few of the branches hit Ven, causing him to fly back, but he simply shook it off before he went back into the fight and landed a few critical hits.

The Unversed tried the same attack – swinging its branches – but Ven managed to dodge the attack and started swinging at its legs.

Mai was about halfway through cutting the branch by now, causing her to smirk, but her face fell completely when the Unversed jumped in the air, spinning multiple time; the purple containers on a few of its branches flying off and exploded when they hit the ground.

Mai moaned in displeasure as the Unversed spun, causing her sword to fly out of her grip and fly off somewhere. By the time the monster was back on her feet, Mai's eyes were spinning in circles and she could've sworn she saw those little blue Unversed zipping around her head with squeaky voices.

Mai groaned as she shook the dizziness away, looking into her empty hand with a swear, "Fuck...Looks like we're going to have to do this...the hard way" The brunette reached into the boot on her free foot, pulling out a dagger the length of her forearm with dragons inscribed along the blade, a crimson red orb at the end of the handle.

Unfortunately, Ventus didn't see the explosives coming, and his lack of focus caused him to get a bomb at his feet. "Ah!" he cried out in pain, the flare the explosion left behind burning his feet. But that wasn't all he got, Mai's unoccupied sword also came flying his way; he caught sight of the sword coming his way and attempted to dodge, but he was too late. The blade sliced across his forearm, causing the blonde to grit his teeth as he fell to the floor.

The blonde let out a few swears before he pointed his KeyBlade at his wound, "Heal." He muttered under his breath, healing his injuries straight away. Ventus heaved a sigh of relief before he jumped back to his feet, ready to attack the Unversed; but stopped in his tracks.

Mai had already cut through the branch and was now clinging to the branch as she made her way down to its trunk, a dagger between her teeth so her hands were free for her to use the braches as monkey bars.

Ven could do nothing but stare at the girl dumbfounded, 'Where the hell did she get that dagger from?' he thought to himself, slightly scared by the fact that she now had _two_ blades on her.

The Unversed tried to shake the brunette off of it, but its attempts proved to be futile, seeing as Mai kept advancing towards its trunk. Ven grinned as she lifted herself to sit on the branch closest to its core, she looked over to the blonde and took the dagger out of her mouth, "Hey, kiddo, get your ass in here, now! I can't take this thing on my own!" Mai called out to him, a smile playing on her lips.

Ventus snapped himself out of his hypnotism and nodded, "Right!" he said before he charged at the Unversed and started slashing at it whilst Mai stabbed at its core with her dagger, struggling to pull it out of the wood a few times.

With their team work, it didn't take long for the Unversed to grow weak and with one last swing from the blonde; it started to fall to the ground. Mai gasped from its sudden actions and clung to the branch for dear life. "Mai!" Ventus called out, his face clouded with worry.

The brunette gasped when she felt her hands slipping, the dagger falling from her grasp. Mai reached out for the blade absentmindedly, her actions causing her to fall from the branch, a scream echoing after her. It didn't take long for the brunette to hit the ground, the force knocking all of the wind out of her lungs.

The pain that shot through her back seemed to be unbearable, and Mai wasn't even aware of the giant Unversed above her that started to collapse until it was starting to fall freely. She gasped as the Unversed got closer to crushing her and curled herself up into a ball, waiting for the impact to hit her; only it never came.

Mai hesitated before she uncurled herself, looking up at the monster and raised a brow, finding no trace of the Unversed apart from a dark mass that began to evaporate. The green eyed beauty heaved a huge sigh of relief from the sight and propped herself up onto her elbows, only to wince in pain from the sparks that shot through her back.

The brunette laid there as she gasped painfully for the air that was knocked out of her body before Ventus came into her view, leaning over her to see her face. "You okay?" He asked, concern dripping in his voice. Mai gave a shaky nod, too shocked to find her voice.

Ventus heaved a sigh before reached down, he scooped his arms under her back and waited for Mai to wrap her arms around his neck before he gently pulled the brunette to her shaky feet. "Can you walk?" Ven asked, although he was getting a little impatient, not with Mai, he knew that she was hurt and would help her as much as needed; but he just really wanted to get to Terra before he left the world.

Mai nodded to him again, Ven placed a hand on her back to make sure she didn't fall while the brunette stretched her left leg out to take a step. Her efforts were futile though as she lost her balance, causing her to fall foreword. Ven saw to sudden movement and caught her before she could fall. He sat her back on the ground gently to help her recover faster.

"I'll get your sword." The blonde exclaimed before he ran off to retrieve the blade that was a few yards away from them.

The brunette scanned the area; fear creeping into her chest as she realised that she was left alone in the dark without Ventus, but her emerald orbs darted around the area, searching for her dagger before she found the weapon laying by her side where she'd dropped it. With a small sigh of relief, Mai picked up the dagger and stuffed it back into her boot, careful not to slice any of her skin.

Ventus returned with her sword a few seconds later and pulled the brunette to her feet, he handed her the blade and Mai stuffed it away in her sheath that was still around her waist, "Thanks Ven," she said, looking up at him with an appreciative nod, "I think I can walk now."

Ventus hesitated before he nodded, but just in case; he grabbed her right wrist and ran towards the exit of the dark forest. Mai felt her heart accelerate from where his hand was, hoping that he wouldn't notice anything and mentally sighed in relief when he didn't react in any way. Little did she know that Ventus was simply ignoring the small bump he could feel in his palm.

It didn't take long for the pair to get out of the dark forest, they came to an opening that seemed to be some kind of meadow, flowers were dotted all around and behind a few trees stood a tall castle. It wasn't as hot as it was back on the mountain, which Mai was grateful for.

Ventus let go of Mai's wrist and didn't take care in noticing his surroundings and took a breath of air, "Terra!" he called out at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing off into the distance, startling a few birds and causing them to fly away.

Mai watched anxiously as Ventus scanned the meadow, only to hear no replay from her brotherly figure. Mai simply sighed while Ventus dropped his shoulders and hung his head low, a sound of disappointment leaving his lips.

Mai placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder and gently took the KeyBlade that was still in his grip, she held the weapon cautiously and continued to comfort Ven. That was until his head lifted slightly, "Huh?"

Mai followed his line of sight and saw a bright red apple rolling their way, "Um..." was all the brunette could say. Exchanging a rather confused glance with the blonde, Mai stepped forward and poked the bright fruit with Ven's KeyBlade.

After feeling that the fruit wouldn't blow up in her face, Mai bent down and retrieved the snack. The brunette scanned it a few times before she sniffed it, it smelled just like a normal apple – bearing that in mind she didn't even realise that apple had a scent! She whipped the fruit on her kimono to wipe of any dirt and held it at eye level before she looked over to Ventus.

"I don't know about you, but I'm _starved_." Mai concluded, her stomach only rumbling to prove her point, "Wanna share?" she asked, ready to devour the fruit within seconds. Ventus stared at her with disbelief before he shook his head, a strange expression crossing over his feature's before something behind the brunette caught his eye.

Mai, unaware of his new found attention, simply shrugged and brought the apple close to her lips; but not too close to touch her mouth, "Alright, it's your loss." She smiled before she opened her mouth wide, ready to take a bite out of the apple before Ventus grabbed her wrist, stopping her from taking the bite that she craved for.

"Don't." Venus said suddenly, his eyes still looking over Mai's shoulder. "What is it?" She asked, dropping the arm that held the apple and followed his line of sight. Mai raised a brow when she caught sight of an old woman, she wore a plain; black cloak with the hood up and was hunched over at the back. A long, warty nose poked out from behind the hood, she was walking a few yards away from them, not even aware of their existence.

Mai groaned in annoyance when she spotted a wicker basket filled with apples hanging over the old hag's arm. The brunette cast her emerald gaze onto the blonde and pouted, "Do we have to?" she begged, knowing that Ventus would want to give the fruit back to the old lady.

Ven sighed at her, although not to offend her; and nodded, "I'm afraid so." He chuckled and walked past the brunette, taking the fruit from her grip as he went. Mai groaned again and turned on her heel before she followed the blonde, his KeyBlade still in her grip.

Ventus came up behind the old lady and cleared his throat politely, "Excuse me, ma'am? You dropped this." He said, holding the apple out for her. It took a few moments for the old lady to take notice of his words and paused in her steps to turn around; Mai had the fight the urge to flinch from how ugly she was.

'Man, that was mean.' Mai thought to herself, a little guilty that she judged the woman just from her looks, but the brunette simply shrugged it off and unconsciously held Ven's weapon tighter. The old woman caught sight of the fruit in Ventus' hand and her face lit up.

"Oh, why thank you," The woman reached out and took the apple form his hand before she placed it into the basket with the others, "My pet." She finished, making the teens feel a little uneasy. "To tell the truth," she started, taking cautious steps to turn back around so that the teens couldn't see the smirk on her old face, "I really don't know what I would have done without that." The old woman cackled; the sound of her voice sending shivers down Mai's back, she could see Ventus feeling the same way. Freaked out!

The pair expected her to walk away, but she didn't make a move, "Haven't I seen that sword before?" she asked, more to herself than anybody else. Mai gasped and held the KeyBlade in her line of sight.

Ventus felt hope rise up in his chest, "Terra has one. You know Terra?" he asked excitedly, hoping to find the older male as soon as possible.

"Oh, yes, yes..." Her old voice trailed off, the tone in her voice proving that she wasn't pleased by the sound of Terra's name; although Ventus didn't seem to notice as he grinned at the old woman's back. "That ruffian pointed one of those at me, asking about some 'Xehanort'-"

Her words caused both Ventus and Mai's heart to drop to their knees, "What...?" Mai asked in disbelief, only to be ignored as the old woman continued, "My poor heart nearly stopped." She added, sadness dripping in her tone, although the smirk was still playing on her crinkled lips.

"But Terra would never do anything like that." Mai said solemnly, a small frown tugging down on her brows. Ventus noticed Mai's tense posture and looked at the woman's back again, "Ma'am, where did Terra go?" he asked, almost begging for the answer.

The hag turned her head slightly and looked at the teens in the corner of her eye, "I'm sure I have no idea...must you all menace a poor granny so?" she began to breath heavily, but not too dangerously, she must've been getting tired of standing.

Ventus held an apologetic look, "What? No, I was just..." but before he could finish, the old lady walked away from them, heading into the dark forest.

Mai glared lightly at the woman's hunched over figure as she walked away before she looked over to Ventus, she noticed that the woman's words had gotten to him; and she wasn't going to allow that anymore!

"Terra, what did you do?" Ventus asked, although it was too quiet for anyone to hear, even Mai. He continued to sulk silently, that woman really got him down. He closed his cerulean eyes for a brief moment before a felt a familiar hand on his shoulder, he looked up and smiled lightly when he saw Mai standing in front of him, a smile playing on her rosy lips.

She stared at him for a moment, her head tilted to the side before she moved her hand form his shoulder to his cheek, "Ven..." Mai started, "You honestly don't believe that old hag, do you?" she asked, her brows slightly raised.

"Well..." Ventus' voice trailed off, causing Mai to pat his cheek hard enough to snap him out of it, but not too hard to hurt him. "Look kiddo," Mai started, her voice firm, "That witch doesn't know what she's talking about. You and I both know that Terra would never do anything like that, she doesn't know him like we do; and she never will!"

Somehow, her words seemed to ease Ven's heaving chest, although they were violent towards the old woman. The blonde felt his smile grow from ear to ear, "I know. Thanks, Mai." He grinned. Mai flashed a cheesy grin of her own and lifted herself up onto her tip toes, she tilted the blonde's head down slightly with the hand that was placed on his cheek and placed a small kiss on his forehead, the action causing Ven to blush.

Mai noticed how red his face looked and couldn't help but giggle, her hand coming up to cover her mouth and Ventus couldn't help but chuckle himself from the melodic sound of her laughter.

When her laughter seized, Mai reached out for Ven's wrist and held his hand in front of them before she placed his KeyBlade back in his hand, she curled his fingers around the handle before she framed his face with her small hands, Mai looked into his deep ceruleans and grinned, "Let's go find Terra."

Ventus nodded, a little flustered by their closeness but couldn't help but stare back into her beautiful emerald orbs. Every time he stared into her eyes, he couldn't help but feel like he knew them from somewhere before; and when he stared deeply, the feeling only got stronger.

Ventus sighed to shake the thoughts from his head, he knew he wasn't going to get an answer anytime soon; so he decided to let it go. Mai dropped her hands from his face and took a small step back so that they could both get their personal space back.

Ventus grinned at her, "Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked before he slammed down on his arm guard, a bright light surrounded him before it died down, revealing the blonde to be in his armour.

He studied himself for a moment to check that nothing was missing before he looked up at Mai, only to see her struggling to retrieve something from the pocket on her back. "What the hell are you doing?" Ven asked, taking the helmet off his head to see the green eyed beauty more clearly.

Mai giggled as she reached into the back off her kimono, "I want to show you what Dopey gave me..." she trailed off before she pulled a diamond out from behind her back, she held the jewel up for Ventus to see and smiled.

"When did he...?"

"When you left the cottage, that's why I was so far behind." Mai answered, looking deep into the jewel. She gasped when the jewel started to grow, a small light surrounding it. Mai placed to diamond on the floor and both teens watched as the diamond grew, they exchanged a glance before a hologram of a Moogle appeared above the diamond.

Mai gasped with surprise when she noticed the little Moogle, a balloon in its hand that read 'SHOP'. When the small creature looked at her, he raised his small hands in the air, "Kupo!" he shouted in a cute voice, causing Mai to coo.

"Aww. Isn't that sweet? Dopey gave me a Moggle Crystal, he must've known that my old one shattered." The green eyed beauty cooed as she stared at the hologram, it looked at her for a moment before she shook her head; causing her chocolate bangs to sway back and forth from the motion, "Nothing for today. But thanks."

The Moogle nodded in understanding before the hologram began to disappear, the diamond shrinking as it did so before it returned to its original state. Mai let a light giggle escape her lips before she bent down to pick up the diamond, stuffing it away in her kimono before she turned to Ventus.

The blonde grinned, "Looks like we don't have to worry about starving." He said, a hint of relief playing in his voice, only causing Mai to smirk – she knew he was worried about not having a Moogle Crystal. The pair stood there for a moment in silence before Ventus placed his helmet under his arm, "Let's go find Terra."

Mai nodded enthusiastically before she pushed her own arm guard, when the bright light died down she was in her armour once again. Ventus – who put his helmet back on while Mai changed into her armour – summoned his KeyBlade, Wayward Wind, before he threw it into the air, only for it to come back as his KeyBlade Glider.

The blonde made no hesitation and jumped onto the Glider before he turned to Mai and held out his hand, "Ready?" he asked. Mai nodded before she took his hand and allowed him to hoist her up onto the glider, their armour clanging to together as they did so.

Mai fiddled around with her feet to make sure they wouldn't slide off – the Glider was only meant for one person, that wasn't hard to tell – before she securely wrapped her arms around Ven's torso. The blonde waited until Mai was comfortable before he aimed the Glider upwards and headed for the sky again, saying goodbye to the world they'd just encountered.

Mai waited until they were in the Lanes Between before she tilted her head towards Ventus, her green eyes ignoring everything else around her. She could tell Ventus was tense; she didn't have to look at his face to know that, sometimes the boy was just too easy to read.

"Ven," The green eyed beauty started, although awkwardly. Ventus heard the stain in her tone and tilted his head back to see her helmet covered face, "Hm?"

When Mai was silent, Ven raised a honey coloured brow, "What is it?" he asked, getting slightly anxious. Mai took a heavy sigh, "You didn't...You didn't really believe that old lady, did you?" she finally asked. She knew that Ventus could be gullible – especially when Terra told him the word had been taken out of the dictionary – and sometimes she had to make sure that he didn't believe everything that people told him.

Ven grinned behind his helmet, "Of course not." He chuckled, causing Mai's face to light up. "I mean...I did. But when you told me Terra would never do anything like that, I..." Ven's voice trailed off before he sighed, his head turning back to the direction they were heading, "I know I can always count on you, Mai. There's just something about you...Eh, I dunno. You just pull me out of the darkness, I guess."

Mai felt a warm blush creep up her cheeks, a small giggle escaping her lips, "Well, what're friends for?" she asked rhetorically, tightening her grip on the blonde and rested her head on his back. Ventus simply chuckled before he began to head to the next world. That being one that looked like a Castle.

* * *

><p>Hehe, that's the forth chapter done now. I hope you all like it ^-^ I really love writing this story and I have so many idea's that I want to do for this story. This is my main Kingdom Hearts Story, but unfortunately it might not seem that way when I begin to write the sequels. Yes, there's going to be alot more after this story. I have all of the characters sorted and I know that you're all going to love them.<p>

Mai: O.O Who are they?

Um...I guess i could give you one clue...

Mai: *gasp* tell me!

Okay, I'll tell you...IN THE NEXT CHAPTER XD heh, I'm evil, deal with it :P

Lol, well, I think I know what else I might do for these author's notes. Just so you all know, I'm happy to hear any suggestions you readers might have for what I could do for the author's notes, because all I've got so far is saying a song that I think goes with the chapter. So please, save my author's notes and forget to review to let me know that you're all reading this.

^-^ Anyway, thanks for reading. I'll see you all again in the next chapter. BYE!


	6. Chapter 6: Panic attacks

_**Author's note:**_

**Hehe, looks like we're back here again ^-^ thanks you guys, I really appreciate you guys for reading this, I know we're only a couple of chapters in but still n.n I'm sorry that it's been quite a while since I've updated, I've just had a very…intriguing beginning to 2012, my rabbit, Bunny, died and I'm a little glum about that and now our other rabbit, Houdini, is all on his own, so…yeah.**

**Anyway, I'd like to thank** _Alicia H. Heart_, _Kim_ **(Extra thanks for reviewing again n_n), and** _MCRDanime_ **for reviewing the last chapter and letting me know that you're enjoying it, but like I said, there's a twist at the end included Vanitas and Mai and you'll have to wait for it ;P**

**I've also got a little surprise for everybody…Ven, drumroll.**

**Ventus: *Drumroll***

http:/xxkeyofheartxx[dot]deviantart[dot]com/#/d4nr497

**Yes, I draw as well. This is the _very_ first glance of Mai and I hope everybody checks it out, and yeah it's her all famous 'thinking pose' ^-^ heh, I'm working on a more realistic version of her as you read this, but it isn't complete yet. But that isn't the only surprise…**

**Ever wondered what Mai's night terror actually looked like? Good, then you'll like this!**

http:/xxkeyofheartxx[dot]deviantart[dot]com/#/d4r1t2h

**Clearly, the** [dot]**s are supposed to be . but fanfiction won't let me put the actual link up, so I have to do that. Hehe, so feel free to check out my other drawings, too. One last thing, I've been wondering about what Mai's voice sounds like for quite a while and now I know! Her voice is the English voice actor for Karin from the anime Karin the chibi vampire, if you've watched the anime then you might catch onto the quote that Mai copies sometime in the beginning of this chapter ;P have fun searching it out. So, carrying on…Aqua, you done the disclaimer last time, why don't we let Mai do it today?**

**Aqua: Okay n_n**

**Mai: Yay! Ahem...Key does not own kingdom Hearts or any of the characters, only me...'cause I'm special ^-^**

**Yeah, 'special' ^0^ So let's carry on with the story.**

* * *

><p>Ventus groaned in annoyance as he paced back and forth in the small, rectangle cage that he was held captive in, and Mai could do nothing but watch him pace back and forth as she munched on an oversized chunk of cheddar that she found as she sat by the door of the cage, her amusement only growing with each turn the blonde made.<p>

The pair was trapped in some sort of mouse trap, a result of a_crash_ landing, inside a huge room with oversized furniture. Mai finally took her attention away from Ven when she heard light thud and looked up at the huge door on the other side of the huge room, only to find that nothing happened. "That's weird," she mused, her mouth full of cheese. "I could've sworn I heard-"

Mai was cut off by the sound of Ventus punching the side of the cage. "What is going on?" He growled before he gripped the bars of the cage and yelled. "Somebody tell me how I got so SMALL!" His voice echoed through the huge room as he shook the bars in frustration. Mai could only snicker at him as she got to her feet, causing the blonde teen turned his head to her and glared lightly at her.

"Hm, you really don't like being the 'little guy', do ya, kiddo?" She asked mockingly, only making Ven's glare intensify. Mai rolled her eyes at him playfully and threw the block of cheese at his head. "Lighten up, or next time it'll be a light bulb that I throw at ya," Mai said in a warning tone as she pointed a figure at him daringly.

Ventus heaved a heavy breath in order to calm himself down and continued to pace back and forth inside the cage, Mai watching his steps very carefully as she leaned back against the bars and crossed her arms over her chest.

As if on cue, the huge doors on the other side of the room began to creak open, catching the teen's attention. On the other side of the door was a woman, she had sun-kissed blonde hair that was held back in a blue bow and her sky blue eyes looked down at the cage that held the pair, she was also dressed in a maid's outfit.

The woman walked over to the cage and reached for the handle on top of it before she lifted the cage off the ground, the teens struggled to keep their balance as the cage moved. The blonde woman tilted the door of the cage upwards, but as she did, Mai and Ventus were sent rolling for the rear of the cage, Ventus landed on his back on the bars, and Mai also landed on her back, but on Ventus. The blonde gasped from the sudden impact and gasped to gain back the air that was lost. "Sorry, kiddo." Mai groaned as she tried to sit up.

"Don't be afraid." The woman said softly as she lifted the door of the cage and peered inside to get a better look of the teens. "Oh!" She gasped. "How interesting…I've never seen mice like you before," the woman said thoughtfully.

Mai and Ventus exchanged a quick glance before they looked up at the woman. "Mice?" The questioned in unison, wondering what the fudge could've possessed this woman to think they were mice…apart from the fact that they were the size of the rodents.

The woman ignored their words and looked down at the ground. "Jaq, you better explain things to them," she said before she placed the cage back on the ground. The teens struggled to find balance on their feet as the woman placed the cage on the floor and found it even harder when the cage crashed on the ground, but the pair managed to keep themselves from falling flat on their asses.

"Man, she couldn't have done that any softer?" Mai questioned as she glared up at the woman, but soon enough a small mouse caught her attention; he was dressed in a red hat, red shoes, shirt, and an orange jacket. He walked inside the cage and stopped in front of the pair.

"Now, now, now. Look-a wittle guys, brake a weezy." The mouse said. Ventus walked around Mai and stood beside her. "Did he just tell us to break wind?" He stage whispered to her, making Mai stifle a laugh by biting her tongue.

Unbeknownst to Ven's words, he continued. "Nada worry 'bout. We like you. Cinderelly like-a you, too. She's nice, very nice-nice." The mouse said, looking back up at the woman. "Cinderelly? That's a strange name…" Mai said aloud while she stood in her thinking pose. Ventus simply chuckled inwardly at her and smiled up at Cinderelly.

The mouse clad in red turned away from the pair before he looked over his shoulder to see them. "Come on now. Zugk-Zugk." He said before he started for the exit of the cage, Mai and Ventus close behind him. When the the pair stood outside of the cage, the mouse turned to them. "Name-a Jaq."

Ventus grinned at the mouse. "I'm Ventus. Call me Ven" The blonde said before he turned to Mai, who gladly introduced herself. "Mai. You can call me…well, Mai," the brunette chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck.

Jaq smiled at them. "Zugk-Zugk, Ven-Ven, Mii-Mii. Needa sudda? Aska Jaq!" He said excitedly. Mai was just about to question her new nickname, but was cut off by a sour voice front the other side of the door opposite them.

"Cinderella!" The voice called, making Cinderella sigh, but she smiled none-the-less. "Oh well, time to get to my chores. I'll see you in a little while," she said before she looked down at Mai. "And when I do, the two of you can get yourselves washed up." She finished before she stood to her feet and excited the room.

Mai felt her face burn terribly from Cinderella's comment and refused to meet anyone's gaze, especially Ven's. The blonde seemed unfazed by Mai's sudden behaviour. "Wow, I guess she's got her hands full." He commented.

"Zugk." Jaq turned to Ventus with a frown. "Work, work, work! Stepmuddy keepa Cinderelly busy _all _day!" He said, jumping up and down like a child's tantrum. Ventus raised a brow and looked back over at the door. "She didn't seem to mind much, though." He exclaimed thoughtfully.

Jaq followed Ven's gaze. "No, not Cinderelly. She work hard. Gotta dream – big dream. Dream gonna come true!" He said enthusiastically.

Ventus smiled from Jaq's words and looked down at the floor. "That's sounds like somebody I know." He said barely above a whisper, and his sudden words made something in his mind click. "Hey, maybe you can help me find him!" Ventus suddenly said before he looked back at Jaq. "His name's Terra. You seen him?"

Jaq shook his head. "Eh, no-no. Never saw Terra 'fore," he answered, his head hung low. Ventus sighed at his words. "Oh, well. It was worth a shot." He said to himself before he nudged Mai with his elbow, catching her attention. Her emerald eyes looked up at him, her face still red, and sent him a crooked smile.

Ventus raised a brow at her before he rolled his eyes playfully. "You look fine, so quit worrying," he explained reassuringly. But Mai only felt her face burn even more and flailed her arms about. "Ah, but it's so embarrassing!" She complained and covered her face with her hands.

Ven grinned at her and snaked his one arm around her shoulder. "I told you: you look fine." He repeated, but Mai just shook her head. Jaq was clearly unaware of the situation, seeing as he was at the other side of room, just outside a mouse hole. "Come on, follow me. Gotta see the house!" He called over to them, catching the teens' attention.

Ventus nodded over at the mouse before he turned to Mai, who sighed. "C'mon then," she said as she walked past the blonde and started for the mouse hole, where Jaq was still standing, Ventus close behind her.

When the pair reached the mouse hole, Jaq walked ahead of them. Mai glanced around the inside of the walls as she walked beside Ventus, there were buttons and cotton reels dotted everywhere, and one or two teacups, there was even a fork stuck in the plywood!

Mai was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a cry from Jaq, she looked down and stared in shock and the number of Unversed that surrounded the three of them. Ventus scanned the number of Unversed carefully before he summoned his KeyBlade, Mai doing the same with her sword.

"How many are there?" Mai asked as she slowly sunk down to grab the dagger that was stuffed in her boot, there was no way that she could take on all of those Unversed with only one blade.

"I could only count up to ten." Ventus answered. Mai nodded before she pulled Jaq behind her. "Jaq," she started, not taking her eyes off the Unversed. "When you see an opening, I want you to run."

Jaq nodded, his whole body shaking with fear. "Z-Zugk," he managed to choke out.

Mai readied herself to fight. "Ready, kiddo?" She asked over her shoulder.

Ventus nodded. "As I'll ever be." He answered before they ran into the Unversed, slashing at the monsters repeatedly. Mai decided to take on the larger ones first, while Ventus took on the smaller ones.

He only had to hit the small Unversed a few times before they disappeared, giving Jaq a clear entrance. The mouse wasted no time and darted towards the exit, but he immediately jumped back when a larger Unversed jumped in his path. The monster raised a claw, ready to strike down, but before it could land a hit Mai jumped in front of Jaq and pierced both her sword and dagger into its torso, causing it to fall limp before it disappeared in the usual cloud of black smoke.

The brunette turned to Jaq and smiled. "You okay there, buddy?" she asked, receiving a shaky nod from the mouse. Mai giggled at him before her face turned serious and she sunk back down into her fighting stance, keeping an eye on the large Unversed that waddled towards her. "Jaq, run!" She ordered. Jaq jumped at her command, but brought his little feet to carry him out of harm's way.

Mai watched in the corner of her eye until Jaq was safe and tightened her grip on her weapons, watching the overweight monsters waddle toward her, the corners of her lips twitched up in a smirk. "Bring it, fatty." She commented before she leaped at the Unversed, hearing a small chuckle from Ven as her words reached his ears.

When Ventus and Mai had cleared the path, they brought Jaq out from his little hiding spot and continued on their way. It turns out that Jaq was heading for Cinderella's room; it was fairly large, but all that was in there was a bed, a closed screen, a desk with a mirror and a chair.

"Woah," Mai exclaimed as she looked over the room while Jaq ran over to the window on the other side of the room and jumped up onto the windowsill. Ventus looked over at his companion and nudged her arm to get her attention.

"C'mon." He said before he followed after Jaq, Mai following closely behind him. When all three of them stood on the windowsill, they looked out into the night sky and spotted a large white castle atop a hill. "What's that?" Ventus asked.

"That's-a palace – King's palace. Gonna be a big ball tonight." Jaq answered excitedly.

Mai looked passed Ventus – who stood in the middle – and sent Jaq a wondering glance. "Is Cinderella going?" She questioned.

Jaq sighed. "I don't know…" he said, just as the door to Cinderella's room creaked open, catching the trio's attention. Looking over their shoulders, the small group saw Cinderella in the door way, placing a tray with a kettle filled with water and two teacups onto her bedside table before she closed the door behind her and walked over to the screens as she looked at the group.

"Hello, you three. Have you become friends already?" Cinderella asked with a warm smile. The trio exchanged a glance and nodded. "Oh, that's wonderful." The blonde woman said happily as she pulled a mannequin from behind the screen, it wore an elegant pink dress with a white skirt and a pink lace ribbon around the waist with a bow at the back.

Cinderella turned her gaze onto the dress and began to fiddle with the sleeves as she began to hum a soft tune, catching the teens' attention. "You sure look happy, Cinderella." Mai commented, taking the woman's attention away from the dress as she turned to face them.

Cinderella nodded. "Mm, I'm going to the royal ball tonight." She grinned brightly, showing off her dimples in her rosy cheeks. "I guess dreams really do come true." She sighed dreamily and held her hands over her heart. She stared off into space for a while before she snapped herself out. "Oh, I almost forgot," Cinderella started before she made her way over to her bed side table.

Mai and Ventus watched Cinderella with confused expressions as she poured water from the kettle into the teacups, she then picked up the teacups and walked back over to the screen and placed them on the floor behind it. "Would you two like to clean yourselves up?" She asked as she looked at Mai and Ven.

"Would we ever!" Mai exclaimed with a grin, causing Ventus to chuckle. The brunette jumped down from the windowsill and made her way over to the other side of the room; Cinderella smiled sweetly at her enthusiasm before she looked up at Ventus, who nodded before he jumped down from the windowsill himself and started after Mai.

"Cinderella!" The same voice as before called out, startling the females in the room. Cinderella looked over at her dress, a slightly saddened expression playing on her features.

Cinderella sighed. "My dress will have to wait," she mumbled under her breath.

"Cinderella!"

"Cinderella!"

The aforementioned woman sighed and started for the door. "Alright, alright, I'm coming!" She called back before she opened the door, closing it behind her. When she was gone the teens exchanged a small glance.

"Poor Cinderelly…" Jaq sighed. "She not go to the ball." He said sadly and jumped down from the windowsill. As he did so Mai and Ventus walked behind the screen and the former proceeded to take off her boots, as did Ven.

"Why not?" Ventus asked Jaq as the mouse stood on the other side of the screen.

"You see, they fix her. Work, work, work. She'll never get her dress done." He exclaimed sadly as he looked up at Cinderella's dress. Mai looked over at Ven with a small frown tugging at her brows as she threw her sword from her waist and took off her kimono and her blue blanket that was wrapped around her torso, leaving her in her grey cat suit that was underneath and slipped off her boots before she took off her new necklace and placed it carefully onto her blanket before she climbed into the teacup, Ventus doing the same with the other teacup in his thermo shirt and boxers.

Both teens were unfazed by the other as they sunk into the water that Cinderella had heated up in the kettle. Mai began to ponder about Cinderella's dress as she reached behind her neck and pulled down the small zip at the back of her grey attire and ran the zip down until it ended between her shoulder blades, the zip being hidden by her long hair.

"But, Cinderella's dress looks fine. Just cut off a few things and re-sow the hem of the dress, take away the bow and place ribbon all along the skirt and take away the elastic that makes the dress curve in at the bottom so it flairs out and that's it!" Mai finished by gasping for the air that she'd lost as she slipped out of the grey clothing, leaving her in her under garments.

Ventus stared at her with a raised brow, completely unfazed by her actions and thought more on her words. "How do you know so much about sowing?" He asked as he took off his thermo shirt, throwing it onto his pile of clothes.

Mai shrugged as she rinsed out her grey suit before she placed it beside her pile of clothes. "When I was little I would rip my clothes quite a lot and Aqua would have to sow them back together, I guess from watching her do it so many times I just caught on myself." Mai answered simply before she looked over at Ven's pile of clothes. "They'll get wet if you leave your wet thermo on them." She pointed out.

Ventus looked down at his clothes and saw that Mai was right, he took his thermo shirt of after he got into the water. So, as quickly as he could, Ventus tried to jump out of the teacup, but his foot slipped and sent him crashing to the floor face first.

Mai winced, feeling the pain that Ventus just went through and held onto the side of the teacup to look over at the bundle on the floor that was her friend. "You okay, kiddo?" She asked, receiving a muffled 'yeah' in reply.

The brunette simply rolled her eyes at him and giggled as she watched him push himself up with a pain filled grunt. "That's gunna hurt in the morning." He wheezed out as he stood up straight, water dripping from him as held onto the side of his teacup, waiting for the room to stop spinning.

"Whatta happen?" Jaq asked from the other side of the screen, causing Mai to sigh with a small grin.

Ventus brought his hand up to rub the side of his head. "I…fell." He called back, his face burning with embarrassment. When the room stopped spinning he reached down and picked up his thermo and laid it out away from his clothes. "That better?" He asked Mai, only to receive a giggle as a response.

Ven simply rolled his eyes before he jumped back into the teacup, getting goose bumps from the sudden temperature change. "So, back onto topic," he started. "Where would we get all of that stuff for Cinderella's dress?" Ven questioned.

Mai shrugged until they heard Jaq call out in excitement. "Things around the house!" He exclaimed as he jumped up and down on the spot.

Mai giggled from his attitude and turned to Ven. "You up for helping out?" She asked him.

Ventus eagerly nodded. "But I think it might be best if we wash up firsy." He exclaimed as he stepped out of the teacup again and grabbed his backpack and climbed back into the warm water, being sure to keep the bag above the water. "Never know when we'll get the chance to wash again." He said as he rummaged through the bag.

"Yeah," Mai chuckled lightly. "If we get this dirty after one world then just imagine what we'll be like when we get home." She pondered in her common thinking pose, a small smile playing on her lips as she did so.

"Hm." Ven hummed in agreement and pulled something out of his backpack. "Think fast!" He called before he threw the bottle of cleaning gel over to Mai, who snapped herself out of her thoughts in time to catch it…if you call the item splashing in the water 'catching'.

"What's this?" She asked as she inspected the bottle in her hand. Finally figuring out what it was, Mai laughed, catching Ven's attention.

"What's so funny?" He asked as he pulled out a bottle for cleansing hair before he threw the bag back onto the ground beside his clothes.

Mai shook her head as she squirted some of the bottle's content into her palm and began to lather her skin. "You just remind me of a character in one of my books back home; she was a baby sitter with this bag, you could fit everything in there. The book was called Mary…something." Mai shrugged as she lifted her leg out of the water to wash it.

"Do you mean 'Mary Poppins'?" Ventus asked as he ran the shampoo through his unruly hair before he leaned his head back to wash it out.

Mai nodded. "Yeah, that was it. You remind me of her." She said as she cleaned her other leg.

"Thanks." Ventus said sarcastically with a chuckle as he lifted his head, his hair now clean and flatter than usual. "Heads up." He warned before he tossed the bottle of hair cleanser over into Mai's teacup.

Mai moved out of the way just in time to avoid being hit by the bottle and prepared to toss the body cleanser over to Ventus, now having finished washing her body. The blonde caught the bottle with ease and didn't waste time to lather his skin.

"Hey, Ven…" Mai trailed off as she sunk her head back into the water to soak her hair.

"Yeah, what is it?" He wondered, looking over to her as he washed.

"We're out here looking for Terra, right?"

"Right."

"So…what made you start looking?"

Ventus paused in his actions. "Whaddaya mean?"

Mai avoided his gaze and continued to run her fingers through her soapy hair. "I mean…why? Why did you go after Terra in the first place?" Not wanting to offend him she looked up at him and held her hands up. "Not that I don't enjoy this adventure already! I just can't help but wonder, y'know?" She asked as she leaned back and rinsed her hair.

"Don't worry, I know." Ven said as he stepped out of the teacup, having finished cleaning himself. "I…Well, the truth is…" Mai lifted her head and could see the hesitation on his face, making her feel guilty about asking.

"Sorry, Ventus, you don't have to tell me." She exclaimed quickly as she stepped out of the teacup. Ven simply waved her off.

"Nah, it's okay. If you wanna know then I'll tell you."

Mai took a moment to take in his words before she gave a small nod. "I think it's kinda necessary." She smiled sheepishly and wrung out her hair.

Her response made Ventus chuckle as he leaned back against the teacup. "Alright," Ventus started, closing his eyes as he began to explain. "It wasn't long after Terra and Aqua's Mark of Mastery exam, I went back into my room and not long after that _you_ came." He said, looking up at Mai for a brief moment before he looked down to his feet and crossed his arms over his still bare chest. "And then some time after you left to go and get your blanket…the alarms went off. So, I was about to head off to the main hall…but I was stopped." At that, his voice became low.

Mai raised a brow at him. "Stopped?" She repeated.

Ventus nodded. "Yeah, this boy in a mask got in my way. He said that Terra was leaving me behind, and by the time I catch up he'd be a different person…He was right about Terra leaving, and I don't want that that guy to be right about him 'being a different person'." He finished.

Mai stood there, her mouth agape as she stared at him with eyes the size of plates. "Who…Who was he?" She asked as she picked up her necklace and placed it necklace around her neck and wrapped her blue blanket around her wet body.

Ventus shook his head and pushed himself off the teacup. "I don't know. But when I find Terra I'm gonna _prove _that he's the same person." He exclaimed and punched the air, his eyes glistening in the light.

Mai couldn't help but smile at him, but her face fell when Ventus asked her something. "So what did you do before we left?"

Mai felt her spine stiffen at his words as she looked down at her feet and made her toes dance. "I-I was getting my blanket, you know that." She answered, mentally kicking herself for stuttering_ and_ giving a shit answer.

Ventus raised a brow at her. "You're a terrible liar, y'know that?" He asked playfully, making Mai smile lightly as she looked back up at him.

_If only you knew that I've been lying to you all this time…_

At that Mai heard a light cackle in the back of her mind, but shook it off as she dropped her blanket and picked up her grey suit, inspecting it for a moment before she realised that it was still slightly damp. Mai groaned in annoyance and dropped the clothing back onto the ground.

"C'mon, Mai, tell me what happened." Ventus pushed as he stepped over to her, feeding his curiosity. Mai shook her head as she picked her blanket back up and wrapped it around her body again, now starting to feel the cold of the room.

Ventus sent her a mischievous look, one that made Mai gulp, as he reached over and dipped his fingers into the water that was in Mai's teacup. "Hm, that water's gotten really cold." He mused before he switched his gaze over to Mai, a smirk playing on his lips.

The brunette took a moment to realise just what Ven was planning and gasped before she turned on her heel, preparing to make a run for it. But Ventus caught her wrist and pulled her into him, making her drop her blanket as she bumped into his chest.

The blonde chuckled as Mai struggled against his grip and managed to grab her legs, now holding her bridal style over the cold water. Mai continued to struggle against his grip, but kept her arms wrapped against his neck. "Ventus, don't you dare." Mai warned, although her words went unheard as Ventus dropped her closer to the water's surface.

"Are you gonna tell me? Y'know, it's not that hard to say it." He exclaimed playfully, earning a glare from Mai.

"I don't want to tell you, okay? I just don't."

Ventus stared at her for a moment before he nodded. "Okay, fine. But that's two things that I'm holding over your head now." He said, making Mai raise a brow at him, but then she remembered the bruise on her lip that night of the meteor shower. She sighed in annoyance and bowed her head. "Don't worry, Mai. I'll wait until you're ready to tell me." He said sweetly.

Mai looked up at him and smiled lightly at him before Ventus leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "See ya, toots."He said, and before Mai could react to his words, Ventus released his grip from her and slipped her arms from around his neck in time before she plunged into the cold water.

Ven ducked away in time not to get soaked from any water that splashed out of the cup and stepped away. Mai screamed under the water and brought herself back to the surface, gasping from the cold and stood there shivering.

"Y-You are…s-so dead when I c-catch you, k-kiddo." She managed to say as her teeth chattered violently, glaring at the blonde when he burst into hysterics. Mai reached her hand over the edge of the cup, trying to ignore the sudden loss of warmth that her arm brought to her. "H-Help me out. This water is _fucking_ freezing." She hissed.

Ventus regained himself and stood up straight, stifling his giggles as he made his way over to Mai and clasped her small hand in his large one. He was about to pull her out, but Mai had different plans; she pulled with all of her strength and pulled Ventus into the cold water. She watched as his legs flung in the air as he went into the water head first and laughed as she turned her head away from the water that splashed in her direction.

Ventus immediately jumped out of the water, yelling as he did so as he climbed out of the teacup and stood there, shivering. At the sound of Mai's laughter the blonde turned his head and glared over at her. "That was low." He commented.

Mai struggled to stifle her laughter and climbed out of the cup herself. "So was throwing me in." She giggled and picked up her blue blanket before she wrapped it around her wet frame. the feel of something hard over her chest caused her to gasp and looked down at her necklace. "Oh no, the chain'll go all rusty." Mai hurried to dry off the necklace, much the Ventus' amusement.

"Relax," he exclaimed. "The chain's pure silver, so it won't rust." He said. Mai stared down at the chain with wide eyes before she switched her gaze to Ven.

"…Where the hell did you find silver _and_ an emerald?" Mai questioned. Ventus brought his finger up and tapped the side of his nose, laughing when Mai frowned at him, and made his way over to his bundle of clothes, not bothering to dry himself off as he dressed.

Mai watched him intently for a while before her face twisted at the sight before her; Ventus' hair began to darken until it was ebony black and his side swept hair spiked out in every direction, and when he looked over at Mai his eyes were a golden colour.

"Kura…" Mai mumbled to herself, finally realising that she hadn't seen the aforementioned boy since she left Land of Departure.

Ventus looked over at Mai and noticed that she was staring at him with a strange expression running across her features; she looked as though she was looking right into his soul , and it made him feel uneasy until he saw her lips move slightly, but he couldn't hear her words.

"What did you say?" Ventus asked, only to feel more uncomfortable when Mai didn't reply. "Mai?" He carefully made his way over to her, but she still didn't react to him. When Ven reached her he looked down at her. "Mai?"

Mai stared with wide eyes as Kura slowly walked over to her and placed a warm hand on her cheek, she looked up into his eyes before his gold orbs began to fade into a sapphire blue and his ebony hair became light blonde.

Mai stepped away from him and shook her head to clear her fuzzy mind before she looked up, seeing Ventus she smiled sheepishly. Ventus reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "Mai," he started, looking down at Mai with concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Mai gave an awkward giggle and nodded her head. "Yeah, just zoned out a little…" she exclaimed before she looked down to her toes with a frown. "Sorry."

Ven looked at her for a moment before he dropped his hand from Mai's shoulder. "I don't think 'a little' would cut it." He joked, earning a small chuckle from Mai before he went to finish dressing, seeing as he was only in his thermo and trousers.

Mai's eyes lingered on him for a while, but when she finally realised that nothing else was going to happen she dropped the blue blanket from around her frame and dressed herself.

"Hey…where'd Jaq go?" Ven asked as he walked passed Mai and around the screen, noticing that the mouse was nowhere to be found. Mai shrugged as she zipped up her grey suit and picked up her boots.

"Maybe he went to go find Cinderella." She suggested and pulled her boot over her foot and picked up her other boot before she slipped that one over her other foot.

"Maybe…" Ventus pondered on his thoughts for a moment before he looked back at Mai to see her wrapping her blue blanket around her torso before she slipped into her red kimono and added the waist band, emblem, straps, and wrapped the sheath of her sword around her slim waist before finally adding her red sleeves.

As if on cue, Mai and Ventus could hear a light scuffling sound before Jaq ran through the mouse hole, he was breathing quite heavily and carrying some sorts of material. "Jaq?" Mai asked with concern as she made her way over to the mouse. "Are you okay?" She took the materials from him and placed them on the floor.

Ventus hurried over as well to hear Jaq's explanation. "Monsters…'round the house." He said, wheezing out his breaths. Mai stared at the mouse for a moment before she looked over her shoulder at Ventus.

"What were you trying to do?" He asked.

Jaq had regained his breath and walked past the pair to pick up the materials that Mai had placed on the floor. "Fix Cinderelly's dress for the ball." He exclaimed.

"Oh, mind if we help?" Ventus asked as he and Mai followed the small mouse over to Cinderella's dress.

Jaq looked over his shoulder. "Zugk-Zugk." He nodded and placed the materials back on the floor. "Need more perty things." Jaq said before he turned to face the pair.

"I'll get them." Ven offered as he punched his chest to gesture towards himself.

"Hey, what about me?" Mai questioned as she glared over at the blonde lightly.

Ventus chuckled at her and placed his hands behind his head. "Well, somebody needs to help Jaq while I'm gone, and you know more about sowing than I do." He answered, giving Mai a smug grin when he saw her move into her thinking pose.

Mai stood there for a while before she nodded, dropping her hand to her side. "You make a valid point, kiddo. You go and get the supplies while Jaq and I get things set up here." She said, gesturing to the mouse beside her. Jaq nodded.

"Great." Ventus smiled. "But, what is it that I need to get?" He asked while dropping his hands to his sides. Mai brought her finger up to her lips again and looked down at the pile of materials that Jaq had put down.

"Well…" She pondered for a moment. "We've already got a white button, pink thread and a white sash, so…"

Jaq decided to speak before Mai hurt her brain too much from trying to think of what else was needed for Cinderella's dress. "White lace…pink fabric!" He said. Ventus nodded before he headed for the mouse hole, not wasting a moment in getting the supplies.

When the blonde was no longer in sight, Mai looked down at Jaq and smiled. "Should we get started?" She asked rhetorically and made her way over to the dress, examining the bottom of it. "Got any scissors?" She asked.

Jaq nodded and ran off to get the scissors.

_25 minutes later…_

Ventus struggled to carry the materials through the mouse hole while fighting off the Unversed at the same time, he'd dropped the materials more than enough times to make a person frustrated, and wandering through the mouse hole was like a maze when there's no one to guide you.

The blonde stood in the mouse hole, glancing at his surroundings before he groaned. "I've been going in circles." He moaned and dropped onto his butt, leaving the materials to drop onto the ground.

Ventus sat there for a while before a light bulb turned on above his head. He suddenly remembered something, it wasn't long after he woke up in Land of Departure and was still having trouble getting around. The place was so huge it was only natural for somebody to get lost…

"_Hey, kiddo, if you ever get lost and nobody's around just shout 'Marco' at the top of your lungs as you walk around. When you hear me shout back 'Polo' I want you to follow the sound of my voice until you find me, 'kay?"_

"_Uh…okay."_

"_Great. I'll tell Aqua and Terra about it so if they're closer to you then you can just go to them. So remember, whenever you're lost just call."_

Ventus got to his feet and leaned down to pick up the supplies before he began to wander around the mouse hole. "**MARCO!**" He yelled as loud as he could, making the sound of his booming voice echo through the mouse hole.

When he heard no reply he tried again. "**MARCO!**"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…**POLO!**"

Ventud grinned to himself when he heard Mai's voice and started in the direction where her voice was loudest. "**MARCO!**"

"**POLO!**"

"**MARCO!**"

"**POLO!**"

Ventus soon found himself in a familiar place, a hole not too far away from him that he could walk through. "**MARCO!**" He called again, although this time he bit back a chuckle.

"**POLO!**"

He heard again, and when he walked through the mouse hole he saw none other than Mai, she was turned away from him – examining Cinderella's dress – with Jaq standing next to her. Ventus felt his smile widen as he walked over to the oblivious two silently.

When he was right behind Mai he leaned towards her ear. "Marco." Bracing himself, Ventus dropped the materials on the floor and grabbed Mai's fist before it made contact with his face. When Mai saw who it was, she dropped her hand and started to laugh.

"Polo." She giggled and leaned down to pick up the materials that Ven dropped on the floor.

The blonde looked up at the dress. "It's coming along great." He commented.

Jaq turned to face him. "Zugk-Zugk. Just needa one thing." He pondered before he looked back over to the dress. "I know." He exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. "A perty perty pearl." Jaq turned back to Ventus and grinned from ear to ear.

The blonde nodded. "Alright, if a pearl is what we need, then a pearl is what I'll get!" He exclaimed and started for the mouse hole again.

"Wait!" Mai called out, causing the blonde to dig his heels into the ground and skidded to a stop just in front of the door. Ven looked over his shoulder to see Mai walking over to him. "Be careful of Lucifer."

"Lucifer…?" Ven repeated, raising a brow.

Mai nodded as Jaq came up beside her. "Roos-a-fee a cat-cat. Meany…sneaky…jump at you, bite at you!" He warned.

Ventus nodded. "Gotcha." And with that, he left through the mouse hole in order to find a pearl for the dress.

When Ventus reached the wardrobe room – where he and Mai were looked in the cage, and also where he found the materials – he noticed a large black cat sleeping in the middle of the room with a turquoise pearl laying just in front of him. Ven stayed clear of the cat's vision in case it woke up while he thought up of a plan.

After a while, Ven came out empty handed and decided to just grab the pearl. After summing up his courage, the blonde started for the cat, tip-toeing and making sure to be as silent as possible. When he reached the feline, he waved a hand in front of its face to check that it was indeed sleeping.

Ventus nodded to himself when he saw that the cat wasn't going to wake up soon and leaned down to grab the pearl before he turned and tiptoed away.

"Ven!"

Said boy didn't have time to turn in the direction of the voice before he was pushed to the ground, the pearl slipping from his hands and rolled away from him. Ventus looked up at where he was standing just in time to see Mai before she was thrown into the nearest wall at full force, knocking her unconscious.

"**MAI!**" Ventus shouted in alarm before he looked over at the cat, it turns out the crafty feline was only pretending to be asleep and was about to attack him before Mai pushed him out of the way. Lucifer switched his gaze to the blonde and his eyes glistened with mischief and lifted his paw above his head, ready to strike down at Ventus with his sharp claws.

"look out!" Ventus heard before a ball of yarn hit Lucifer in the face, pausing his actions as the wool peeled from his face and revealed his eyes which were spinning in opposite directions. The blonde looked up at one of the dressers and spotted Jaq, he was holding a ball of yarn above his head with several others surrounding him.

"Flurry! Flurry, Ven-Ven!" The mouse yelled before he threw the ball in his hands at Lucifer, repeating the action over and over again while Lucifer ran in circles to dodge them, only getting hit by a few.

Ventus took this time to run over to Mai, she was sprawled out on her stomach and her head was tilted away from him. "Mai!" Ventus began to panic as he placed a hand on her back on shook her lightly. "Wake up."

He felt something warm on the hand that was on Mai's back and when he pulled it away from her to look at it he gasped as crimson red liquid coated his hand and dripped from his fingers, Ventus looked down at Mai's limp form and took notice of the cut that stretched from her right shoulder blade all the way down to her left hip.

"Mai…" Ventus breathed out and he gently turned her over to see her face. He lifted her upper body up into his arms and looked down at her face, her skin looked a little bit paler and her lips were parted slightly, but her closed eyes made her look peaceful.

Ven shook his head to get rid of the horrid thoughts and held her close to him. "Wake up, please Mai. You have to wake up." When he got no response he felt his eyes grow moist and they glazed over, making his vision blurry.

A loud crash caught his attention and he looked over his shoulder to see Jaq falling from the dresser, Lucifer had ran into the dresser and knocked Jaq off balance, sending him to the floor. The mouse landed flat on his butt and rubbed the now sore spot. "Ooh, that hurt…" He complained lightly before a shadow over his form caused him to look up.

Lucifer stood in front of the small mouse with his paw raised above his head, ready to strike Jaq. Ventus gritted his teeth together and carefully placed Mai down before he started for the cat, his KeyBlade in hand. Just as Lucifer swung his paw down, Ventus jumped in the way and slashed at his appendage with his blade.

Landing in front of Jaq, Ven held his KeyBlade strongly beside him. "Time to play, cat." He said and swung his blade in front of him.

"Ven-Ven." Jaq said, happy to see his friend protecting him.

Ven didn't dare take his gaze off the cat. "Get the pearl, Jaq, and take Mai somewhere safe. I'll hold him off, run!"

"Zugk-Zugk." Jaq nodded and ran over to get the pearl before he made his way over to Mai, examining her limp body for a moment before he looked over his shoulder to see Ventus fighting off Lucifer.

Jaq then looked back down at Mai and decided to put her where the cat couldn't reach her; under the table.

Ventus dealt a few more hits on Lucifer before the cat ran away. He disarmed his KeyBlade and scanned the room for Jaq, when he finally caught sight of him under a table he wasted no time and ran over to him, seeing Mai laid beside him.

Ventus looked at Jaq and smile appreciatively, but Jaq was the one who spoke first. "That's a _big_ 'thank you'." He said and tucked the pearl under his arm.

Ventus simply waved him off. "No thanks needed. You saved me before, so I saved you. That's what friends do, right?" He asked and leaned down to pick Mai up bridal style, feeling her go limp in his arm just didn't feel right, and it scared him a little.

The blonde turned to Jaq as he spoke. "Jaq-Jaq, Ven-Ven an' Mii-Mii good friends." The mouse smiled lightly before he looked at Mai, his features suddenly becoming laced with worry.

Ventus nodded and started for the mouse hole. "Now, let's get that dress finished." He said over his shoulder before Jaq followed closely behind him.

Thankfully, no Unversed showed up while Ven and Jaq made there waythrough the mouse hole, and Ven was especially grateful because he didn't know what he would do with Mai in his arms while they were surrounded by monsters.

When they reached Cinderella's room, Ventus carried Mai behind the screen and allowed Jaq to carry on with fixing Cinderella's dress while he took care of Mai wounds.

When Mai finally came around, she was greatly away of the pounding in her head, raising a hand to her rub her temples, Mai sat up slowly. She suddenly cried out from the sudden bolt of pain that shot through her entire back, causing her to lie back down.

It wasn't long until she could hear footsteps, and a familiar blonde came into her line of sight. "V-Ven…?" She mumbled, only just realising how broken her voice was, making her cough violently. Ventus immediately knelt down beside her and helped Mai to sit up.

After her little coughing fit, Mai noticed that she was in her grey suit and her blue blanket was draped over her legs. "What happened?" She asked as she turned to Ventus, only to get trapped in a warm embrace.

"You scared the crap outta me, that's what." Ventus answered as he held Mai in his arms. The latter sighed as she wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her face into his chest, lightly hearing his heart beating against his ribcage.

Mai thought back on what had happened and could only remember Ventus leaving to go and get the pearl for Cinderella's dress, the rest was just a big blur. "Don't do anything stupid like that again, okay." Ventus muttered softly and brought his hand up to stroke her now dry hair.

Mai chuckled against his shirt, but immediately stopped when the pain coursed through her back again. "It would help if I could remember what it is that I did." She said and pulled away from Ventus' grasp, but didn't let go of him.

He sighed. "You saved me from getting attacked by Lucifer, but it ended up with you getting thrown into a wall and Lucifer slicing your back in half."

Mai scowled at the thought of ever running into that cat again. "I never did like felines." She muttered under her breath.

Ventus chuckled, having hearing her words, and stood to his feet. "It's a good thing I packed a first aid kit in my backpack, or I don't know what else I could've done. And – if I do say so myself – I bandaged you up pretty well." He said and scooped Mai up in his arms before he slowly dropped her legs and helped her to stand up straight.

Mai groaned in annoyance. "Uh, I feel like such a damsel in distress." She said with her head bowed.

Ventus gently snaked his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. "Then that makes me your knight in shining armour." He teased, knowing all too well how much Mai hated those kinds of stories; the damsel being locked in a tower and being able to do nothing but wait for their knight in shining armour to come and save them.

"I don't see why those lazy bitches don't just get out of the freaking tower? Ride the dragon! Or, use your hair, the same way you escape when the knight's there. _God_, it's this kind of _shit_ that makes women look like pansies!" Are the exact words she uses to describe them.

Mai lightly shoved him away, but quickly grabbed his shoulder when the cut on her back began to sting again. "Ah…" she wheezed out. Ventus grabbed her hand and bent down slowly to grab Mai's blanket that was left as a bundle on the floor before he gently wrapped it around her torso and tucked the corner under it to keep it from falling off.

He then proceeded to lead Mai from behind the screen, and she immediately caught sight of Jaq, who was playing with some left over thread. "Look who's up." Ven said, catching Jaq's attention. The mouse looked ecstatic to see Mai and ran over to her.

"Mii-Mii!" He shouted delightedly and hugged her leg, seeing as he was too short to hug any higher. Mai giggled at him and patted his head.

"It's good to see you too, Jaq." She then looked around the room. "Where's Cinderella?" She asked with curiosity.

"Oh, she left for the ball already." Ventus said, feeling sad for Mai to miss the big send off, she didn't even get to see the finished dress. Mai whined in protest and stomped her foot just like a little child, making Ventus grin. At least she was still the same old Mai.

* * *

><p>The trio sat on the windowsill in Cinderella's room, Jaq looking out at the palace, Mai sowing up the large cut on her kimono that Ventus kept in his backpack while Mai was unconscious, and Ventus sowing up the cut in her grey suit, being careful not the jab her with the needle seeing as Mai was still wearing the suit.<p>

"Jaq-Jaq hope-a Cinderelly dream come true." Jaq said out of nowhere, causing the teens to pause their actions and look over at him just as Jaq switched his gaze from the night sky to his friends. "What's-a Ven-Ven an' Mii-Mii dream?" He asked curiously.

Ventus dropped his hands from Mai's back and stared off out into the night sky. "Hm, I wonder…" He seemed to go off into his own little world for a while before he was snapped back into reality. "Funny…I'd never really thought about it – at least until you asked." Ven said before he held his hand out, summoning his KeyBlade in a ray of light. "My dream is to become a KeyBlade Master."

Jaq smiled. "Hope- Ven-Ven dream come true, too." He said before all eyes landed on Mai.

"Oh, god, here we go…" Mai started before she got into her thinking pose.

_"Being a KeyBlade Master is all I've dreamed about." Terra answered happily. _

_Aqua exchanged a quick glance with Ven. "Well, you're not the only one." she said. Mai dropped her shoulders with her head hung low._

_"I know." Terra nodded and knelt down beside Ventus "You, me, and Ven...All share the same dream." he exclaimed and held out his wooden KeyBlade. Ven smiled for the first time at Terra and slowly reached out and gently grabbed the wooden weapon. Aqua grinned at the scene before she noticed Mai now being the downer of the group._

_"Mai, what's wrong?" she asked, worried. Mai shot her head up, startling Aqua and causing her to fall back slightly. "Even kiddo knows what his dream is...I still don't know what mine is. I can't be a KeyBlade Master 'cause I can't even __wield __a freaking KeyBlade." she sighed in annoyance and crossed her arms over her chest. Aqua shook her head and placed a hand on Mai's shoulder._

_Ventus looked up at her and gave a small smile. "You'll find one."_

Mai sighed and returned back to sowing up her kimono. "I don't know…guess I just haven't found any motiv…" Mai trailed off as her actions slowed to a complete stop, causing Ventus to raise a brow at her. The brunette looked out into the night sky. "Actually," she started, a frown tugging at her brows. "I want to find out what happened to my parents; I want to know why they left me and how they died." She said.

Ventus stared at Mai for a moment before he found his voice. "Where did that come from?" He asked curiously. Mai simply shrugged and quickly finished off sowing the cut, biting at the extra thread before she examined her work. "I just really want to know…and who knows, maybe I'll know what happened to them by the time the adventure is over."

Ventus took a moment to take in her words before he smiled lightly and resumed sowing up her grey suit. "Well, if that's what you want then I won't stand in the way of your dream." He said.

Mai felt her lips curve upwards in a small smile. "Thanks, kiddo." She said softly.

Jaq watched the pair with a smile of his own before he looked back out to the palace, catching sight of four stars that shone brighter than the rest.

"All done." Ventus finally said before he gnawed at the extra thread and threw the material and needle behind him.

"Thanks." Mai said as she stood up and slipped her kimono on, adding the accessories that she usually wears. She then looked out to the palace and saw the stars that Jaq spotted. "Ven," she started, catching his attention. "I think it's time for us to leave."

Ventus nodded before he stood to his feet. Jaq watched him stand with a sad expression. "Ven-Ven an' Mii-Mii gotta leave?" He asked.

Ventus nodded. "Yeah, but we'll be sure to come back and visit sometime." He said, making Jaq's face twist into a grin.

"Zugk-Zugk."


	7. Chapter 7: Sleeping in darkness

Chapter 7: Sleeping in darkness

_**Author's note**_

**BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE I HAVE AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE! Right, I hope I have your attention now; some of you will be happy to know that I'm going back to taking requests. THAT'S RIGHT! I've just been so imaginative lately and I always have the start of a story but I can't finish it, so I'm thinking that maybe if some of you guys request some things then it could get me back on my game ^-^ and just so you know, I don't know that many games, so if you do have a request I'd have to make sure I know exactly what it is so I can actually do it and do it good ^-^ Thanks, so remember; I NOW TAKE REQUESTS!**

**Right…back on topic;**

**YAAAAYYYYY! I'm back with a seventh chapter ^-^ Sorry it's kinda late, but I'm so happy that I've kept it going this far, and I also love you guys that are reviewing the story, you're really giving me the inspiration for my story.**

Azura Soul Reaver**... I LOVE YOUR REVIEW! I'm so glad that you're liking the story so far, and everybody else for that matter. I do actually have a drawing for this chapter, it's a full body shot of Mai, coloured in with shading and everything...the only problem is, though, that my scanner isn't working, so I have buy a new one TT^TT but I do have something else to make up for the lack of art work...**

**Mai: Can I do the drum roll?**

**Sure ^-^**

**Mai: *DRUM ROLL...AND STOP***

**I have Mai's theme song! Its 'Dance of the Dolphins' by Kevin Browne. If I'm being honest I was trying to come up with Mai's theme on my keyboard quite some time ago, but I only got a few keys, and my teacher played this in our form class and the tune was so similar to the small piece that I made ^-^ So I decided that it could be Mai's song, I also think it suits her really well and gives her a much calmer aura, even if she can be really hyper at times n.n**

**If anything I'd absolutely **_**love**_** to be able to play it on the piano...well, enough of me rambling. Let's get on with this.**

**Ven: *listening to Mai's theme song* lalalalalalalalalalala**

**Terra: *Sneaking up behind Ventus holding a metal tray over his head***

**...do it.**

**Terra: *hits Ventus over the head with the metal tray* HAHAHAHAHAHA**

**Ven: AAAHHH! SONOFA ******************* HIPPOPOTAMUS ********************** MICKEY MOUSE**********************

**Mickey: Yeah?**

**Not you.**

**Mickey: TT^TT okay, I'll just go then.**

**WAIT, MICKEY I LOVE YOU, COME BACK *chases Mickey***

**Ven: ************* IN A CASTLE FAR AWAY WHERE NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU **************** STICK OF DYNAMITE *********** ALLAKASAM!**

**Everyone: O.O**

**Ven, that is _some_ language you got there.**

**Mai: Oh, Ven~**

**Ventus: What? *rubbing his now sore head***

**...**

**...**

**...**

**Mai & Ventus: YOUR MOTHER IS A *********************

**Aqua: ANYWAY, KEY DOES NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS, ONLY MAI!**

**Terra: MAI STOP SWEARING!**

**Mai & Ventus: ********* BUCKETS ****************

**-,- And this is what happens when you decide to create a KH story, the characters won't leave you the F*** ALONE!**

**Mai & Ventus: STICK OF DYNAMITE *******************

* * *

><p>Mai and Ventus sat side by side under the night sky in front of the wild fire that they built; thanks to the matches that Ven had in his backpack, which sat beside them, and gathered the firewood from the thick forest that surrounded them. They were both wrapped up in Mai's blue blanket and watched the flames dance with the wind, allowing the faint crackling of burning wood to take over their thoughts. Mai soon found herself dosing off, her eyes slid shut and she fell limp against Ven's shoulder. The blonde looked down at her and smiled sweetly. "Mai?" He couldn't help but chuckle when all he received in response was a light snore.<p>

Ven shifted slightly and shook the blanket from him before he gently laid Mai down, but he was fear stricken when the brunette suddenly jolted awake, jumped forward and clashed heads with him. Both teens fell to the ground in opposite directions and held their temples in order to soothe the pain. "Ow...I'm so sorry, Ven." Mai apologized, she removed her hand from her forehead to reveal a red circle where she had head butted Ven and pushed herself up into a sitting position to see the blonde.

Ventus simply shook off her apology and sat up himself, tucked his one knee up to his chest and rested his right arm upon his knee, he looked down at his arm with a small smile on his face. Mai tilted her head at him and leaned forward to get a better look at his face, catching sight of the mark on his own forehead that was similar to hers. "Why are you smiling?" Mai asked curiously. Ventus looked up and met her gaze, unable to ignore the flames' dancing reflection in her large, emerald eyes, making them look all the more alive.

Ventus realised that Mai had asked him a question and chuckled. "No reason," he said before he twisted his body so he was facing the same way as Mai and laid down with his hands behind his head, taking his ocean glance to the stars above him.

Mai simply giggled at his response and laid down next to him, placing some of the blanket over him. Ventus mumbled a small 'thanks', his eyes still looking into the other worlds, but Mai just laid there, watching him silently. Despite the fact that she knew Ventus was the one laying next to her, she couldn't seem to shake the feeling that Kura might take his place again…

_Take his place…?_

Mai thought back on her words, horrified for a moment before she shook them away and nuzzled her face into the crook of Ven's neck, absent-mindedly breathing in his scent. He smelled like...Ventus.

_Nobody could take your place, Ven…You too, Kura. Nobody could ever replace you guys._

Funny, it felt like she was talking to their faces, even though the words were only in her head. Mai smiled, although she couldn't blow away the feeling of guilt that kept building up in her stomach, she'd known Ventus for what felt like her whole life - even though it was only a couple of years - and she _still _hadn't told him about the ebony haired boy that she'd been travelling the worlds with, and they just so happened to kiss before she and Ven left on their small journey.

It finally dawned on Mai that she hadn't spoken to - or even seen Kura since she left, maybe she should've let him know that she was leaving, although, how could she have told him if she didn't even know she was leaving herself? Besides, what would Ven think? On the night of the meteor shower, she and Ventus made that promise with each other, nobody else…

_God damn it!_

Mai scrunched her face up in annoyance when she realised that she'd broken that promise with Ven before she even _made_ it! The brunette sighed and rolled onto her side, away from Ventus, catching his attention.

"You okay?" He asked. Mai nodded, not wanting to look at him in case the feeling of guilt got worse, she already felt like she would be sick at any moment. "Just a little tired." She managed to mutter out.

Ventus stared at the back of her head for a moment, one of his golden brows raised before he shook it off and looked back up to the stars again. "Well, good night, Mai." He yawned before he rolled onto his side, towards Mai wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her small frame into him before he began to drift off to sleep.

"Night, Kiddo…" She whispered, although it was barely audible. Mai just laid there, looking out to the dark forest that surrounded them, if it wasn't for the warm, orange glow from the fire, then Mai would've turned away from the darkness and snuggled into Ventus long ago.

It didn't take long until she was wrapped up in her thoughts again, and not too long did she fall victim of sleep herself.

* * *

><p><em>Mai found herself standing on a beach; looking out into the vast, dark ocean. The stars that slept in the night sky blinked above her and gave light to the small island, "Where am I…?" Mai asked herself, but no words could be heard.<em>

_She brought a hand up to her mouth and tried to speak again, but still nothing could be heard. Mai sighed silently and returned her gaze to the horizon, the stars' reflection cast a beautiful shine on the ocean's riffling surface._

_It wasn't until children's laughter could be heard that Mai finally looked away from the horizon and across the beach, where two small shadows could be seen, as they ran across the shoreline towards Mai she noticed that they had no form, just dark blurs._

_The brunette turned to face the shadows, the children's laughter growing louder until they flew straight through her lower body. Mai turned on her heel and kept her gaze on the shadows as they made their way down the beach, and surely enough, the children's laughter grew quieter the further the shadows went. They finally stopped on the shoreline and stayed silent, Mai raised a chocolate brow before she slowly began to make her way over to the shadows. But something in her peripheral vision caught her attention._

_The brunette looked over her shoulder; where she caught sight of a dock, there she saw two people sat on the edge of it, watching the sun go down. Mai paid no attention to the sudden time difference and instead focused on the two people sat on the dock; one of them was clad in black and had spiky brown hair, while the other had a black jacket and light blue jeans, the second figure appeared to be a girl as she had her light pink hair tied back into a high pony._

_They seemed to be talking about something...something important, judging by the looks on their faces. But Mai couldn't hear anything. She started towards the dock, but the instant her foot touched the sand darkness began to spread from her foot and across the beach. Mai looked down at her feet as the sand changed colour before she looked back up at the people on the dock, but Mai noticed that she was no longer on that small island._

_The pitch black sky above her gave way to no stars, only the moon that pushed it's way through the clouds as it sat on the waves out on the horizon, dark rocks were scattered along the blackened sand and the dark waters of the ocean lapped over her booted feet. In Mai's line of vision; stood a person, they had long, forest green hair that reached to their knees and their back was turned away from Mai. The figure held out their right hand to the side and made some kind of strange hand motion, but Mai didn't have time to catch it before the__ figure__ spun around, a blur of black and blue in their other hand before it made contact with Mai's head, knocking her off her feet and sent her through the air._

_Mai felt herself slam against a rock, but then it shattered as if it was glass. Shards of mirror surrounded her as the darkness around her became a blinding white, her reflection could be seen in each shard that flew passed her as Mai feel through the light abyss._

_Her brunette locks flew across her face as she fell, but then she felt as if somebody had caught her and began to lower her slowly. Mai soon felt the ground beneath her feet and regained her balance before she looked down, catching sight of a small stuffed doll beside her booted feet. _

_Mai reached down to pick up the doll and saw that it was a small, faded pink bunny. It flopped in her hand as Mai inspected it before a gust of strong wind flew passed her, taking the stuffed bunny with it. The brunette reached out for the doll before she was carried off her own feet by the wind, sending her twisting through the air until a wave of darkness swallowed her._

_Mai slammed against something solid in the darkness and that also shattered, sending her through it. But on the other side the sky was a calm orange sky, and the sun was setting behind the buildings. Mai saw the ground getting closer and began to panic, but as she fell she saw a large clock tower in front of her with four black blurs sitting atop it. Mai looked up at the blurs as she fell passed them and towards the ground, and it was like time had slowed down, her face twisted in confusion as she looked at the faces of the people sat on the clock tower. But then time returned to its normal speed and she was falling full speed towards the ground._

_Mai screamed in a blind panic, but still no sound came from her throat, causing her to scream harder, but there was still no noise. She was inches from the ground before Mai squeezed her eyes shut and felt herself slam against the floor...but it was so fragile that she'd fallen through it. Mai quickly opened her eyes again, only to notice that she was falling in the darkness again. As she fell further into the abyss Mai could hear her name being called faintly, looking in the direction where she heard the call, Mai saw none other than Ventus, he was reaching his hand out to her with a horrified expression on his face._

"_VEN!" Mai tried to call out to him, but her voice still couldn't be heard as she reached her own hand out for him, but as she fell further, Ventus became more distant from her. Calling his name again, the brunette felt tears build up in her eyes before she felt her body being swallowed by water, Ventus fading from her vision in ripples._

_As she fell through the dark waters, Mai saw that her brown locks were beginning to turn a light pink, then neon green. Her eyes suddenly felt like lead and Mai struggled to keep them open, her limbs grew numb and, finally, she struggled no longer, allowing herself to willingly fall through the darkness…_

* * *

><p>With a gasp, Mai jolted up into a sitting position, cold sweat ran down her face and covered her body as she breathed heavily. Now seeing that it was morning, she sighed lightly and laid back down, her gloved hand over her eyes.<p>

"Bad dream?" Mai jumped from the familiar voice and looked to her left, catching sight of a familiar ebony haired male. "Kura!" Mai said allowed, awestruck that he was laying beside her, in the middle of a forest and in a new world.

Kura chuckled as he lay beside Mai. "The one and only," he said smugly, his trademark smirk crossing his features, but Mai caught sight of something flashing in his eyes. She stared at him for a moment before she gasped and sat up at an incredible speed, but the instant she sat up a sudden jolt of pain ran down her back, causing her face to scrunch up in pain and a hiss passed through her gritted teeth.

"What is it?" Kura asked in alarm and sat up, placing a hand on her shoulder. Mai simply shrugged him off. "It's nothing, I think the wound opened up again, is all." She answered, looking over to where she last remembered Ventus being, but he wasn't there. Mai raised a brow before the pain ran down her spine again.

Mai cried out quietly, causing Kura to look at her worriedly. "Where is it?" He asked.

"On my back." Mai answered, gesturing behind her with a nod of her head. Kura nodded and reached towards her front to unclasp her belt. "What are you doing?" Mai asked in alarm, squirming away from him. Kura sighed.

"I'm guessing that Loser didn't bandage you up properly, and I'm not gonna let you walk around in bloody bandages." He answered, causing Mai to raise a brow at him. "How did you know I was bandaged?" She asked, almost smugly, trying to forget about the pain.

Mai saw Kura's face look stumped for a moment before he regained himself. "I know that you're not a woos, so it would have to be something real bad for you to be in pain." Mai took a moment to take in his words. He did have a point, Mai never was one to cry over a grazed knee, ever since she was little she would just shake it off and carry on whatever she was doing…but it was a completely different story to whenever she was scared and alone.

Mai reluctantly nodded and helped Kura to take off her belt and kimono, Kura then unzipped her grey suit, exposing her back to the cold, morning breeze. "What if Ventus comes back?" Mai asked as Kura gently took off the upper part of her grey suit.

"He won't." Kura simply answered, inspecting the bloody bandages before he began to undo them. Mai sat up straight to make his job easier. "But-"

"No 'but's." Kura cut in, looking around for Ventus' backpack, where the blonde kept the first aid kit. "That Loser's bound to have some spare bandages…" he mumbled to himself as he pulled out a roll of bandages, but Mai heard it.

"Stop calling him a loser!" She snapped, causing Kura to pause his actions and looked at the back of her head. "He's anything but that." Kura listened to her words for a minute before he laughed.

"Really? Then why did he bandage _over_ your bra?" He asked as he unclasped said garment with one hand. Mai felt the heat rush to her face as she quickly held up the only thing that kept her breasts from showing.

Kura simply laughed. "That's not funny." She snapped again, but Kura continued to chuckle as he wiped over the large gash with an antiseptic wipe that he found in Ven's backpack. Mai gritted her teeth together to keep her from squealing, a sigh of relief falling past her lips when Kura finished cleaning over the wound and prepared to bandage her up. He began to wrap up her shoulders and began to work down until he reached her chest.

"Mai," he started.

"No. You can bandage over it." She said, aiming her words at her bra. Kura simply shook his head, a chuckle passing his lips. "C'mon Mai, it'll only irritate you if you leave it on. Besides, I've seen you naked before." He said. Mai felt her face grow even hotter, the memories of when she came out of the bathroom naked and found him laying on him bed suddenly came flooding back to her.

Mai groaned in annoyance, much to Kura's amusement, and quickly dropped the garment, letting it fall into her lap. "Hurry up, 'cause it's freezing." Mai hissed viciously, but Kura just laughed at her and began to bandage over her breasts, accidently grazing over the soft skin a few times, and each time Mai would call him an 'asshole'.

When the ebony haired male was finished he taped the bandage to keep it from falling off and sat back to admire his work, but as he did a small pink appeared appeared beside Mai in a cloud of purple smoke, catching both teens' attention.

Mai looked down at the small mouse-like creature and smiled. "Aw, it feels like forever since I've seen one of these Unversed." Mai cooed and picked up the Unversed. It cuddled into her hand before it ran up her arm, tickling Mai's skin and caused her to giggle. It crawled up to her shoulder and nuzzled her neck, looking up at her with the signature red Unversed eyes.

"Yeah, and it feels like forever since we've been alone in a new world." Kura said, catching her attention. Mai looked up at him, only to see that he was watching the Unversed on her shoulder.

The brunette felt a small smile grow on her lips as everything became quiet, nothing to be heard but the Unversed squeaking and the birds chirping in the trees. Mai suddenly felt cold as the atmosphere changed completely, a gust of wind blew passed them, blowing leaves around and made Mai's hair dance with the wind. "Kura…"

"Hm?"

"…Why did you kiss me before?" Mai asked bluntly, causing Kura to look up at her. He was silent for a moment, much to Mai's dismay, before he tilted his head away from her. "Because…" The hesitation could be heard in his voice, anybody would have to be an idiot not to see how many steps Kura's high spirits fell with that one question.

Mai almost felt sorry that she asked, and was about to apologise for bringing it up before Kura raised a hand to stop her from speaking. "It's okay. I kissed you because…well, I wanted to know what it was like, in case I never see you again." He answered, barely above a whisper.

Mai could only stare at him with a raised brow. Just what the hell did he mean by 'in case I never see you again'? "Kura, what are you saying?" She asked, not really understanding what he was getting into. She had a small hunch, but Mai tried her best to push that thought away.

"Mai…" Kura swallowed the sudden lump that formed in his throat. "I came here…to say goodbye."

At that, the small Unversed on Mai's shoulder sensed the sudden dark aura in the air and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, just like it came.

The brunette felt her eyes go wide as she stared at the ebony haired boy and she could've sworn that she'd stopped breathing. "Wh-…What?" She pressed herself to ask.

_He's saying goodbye? But, why?_

Mai felt something squeezing her chest as she refused to believe his words, instead she just looked at him. Kura finally looked up at her and noticed her purely blank expression, muttering under his breath as he felt something jab him in the chest, the way that Mai was looking at him reminded him of something that he'd locked away in his memory long ago.

The brunette clutched her sky blue blanket tightly and scooted closer to Kura. "Why do you have to say goodbye?" She asked. He took a deep breath and rested back on his hands. "I don't want to say. In fact, I think it'd be better if I didn't say. I don't want to say goodbye..." His voice trailed off, unable to find any more words.

"Then don't say it." Mai cut in. "Don't say goodbye." It was almost as though she was begging him, but Kura simply looked down into his lap. "I don't want you to get hurt, Mai."

"But you're hurting me by doing this." She blurted out, only to quickly cover her mouth. The ebony haired boy switched his gaze back onto the green eyed girl with a small flicker of something in his eye. "Mai…" He reached out and placed a gloved hand on her cheek. "Please, just understand that I can't come to see you anymore…Maybe someday, but that time isn't now."

Mai looked deep into his amber orbs. "So you just said it yourself; this isn't goodbye." She said with a broken chuckle, she leaned forward and nuzzled her face into his chest and allowed herself to get wrapped up in his arms.

The pair was sat there for a few minutes before a familiar voice called out, "Mai!" Kura cringed, recognising it to be Ventus and pulled Mai away from him. "I'll see you again soon." He said quietly, as so Ventus wouldn't hear him if he was close by. Mai nodded with a small smile, to which he returned and leaned forward, gently pressing his lips against hers. Mai didn't hesitate to kiss him back and brought her hands up to wrap around his neck, not wanting to let him go.

"Mai!" Ventus called out again, ending their kiss. Kura was the first to pull away and rested his forehead against Mai's, bringing his hand up to lie on her cheek. "Goodbye, Mai."

The brunette smiled lightly at him and clasped the hand that was on her cheek. "It's not goodbye, though, is it?" She questioned teasingly with a small grin. Kura returned the smile and pulled away from her, getting to his feet and walked passed her.

Mai looked over her shoulder as Kura walked towards a portal he created and waited for him to walk through. Kura looked over his shoulder to see Mai. "I guess it isn't. Alright, then; catch ya later." He said, causing Mai to chuckle lightly. Kura smiled at her one last time before he turned towards the portal and stepped through it.

Mai sat there, only now realising that her body was shaking as she watched the portal disappear. With a heavy sigh, Mai looked ahead to see the burned out fire that she and Ventus had made last night, her limbs felt cold and numb, and she wasn't even sure if she could speak. Mai felt the squeezing in her chest getting tighter by the second, and soon; her vision blurred over.

Mai's ears were too plugged by her own heartbeat that she didn't even hear the rustling in the bushes behind her, and what was her luck that the first tear fell from her right eye, and just as that first tear fell the others wouldn't stop coming.

It was only a few seconds later when Ventus appeared through the bushes, whistling a small tune with a pile of sticks in his arms. When he caught sight of the brunette he saw that she was barely wearing anything, and the only thing that covered her upper body was a bandage. "Mai?" When all he received in reply was a sob, he instantly dropped the sticks where he stood and ran over to her, knelt beside her and tilted her head up but her chin.

"Mai, what happened? Are you hurt?" He asked, worry flickering in his eyes. Mai stared at him for a moment before her face scrunched up from the pain that she felt in her chest as she nuzzled her face into Ventus' chest.

"He's gone…" She whispered, but her voice was muffled by Ven's shirt. Ventus either didn't hear her words, or didn't acknowledge them, but he wrapped his arms around her small form and held her tight, hoping to ease the pain that she was feeling. He murmured comforting words to her until she stopped sobbing and waited patiently for her to explain.

"Mai, what happened?" He finally asked. "Who changed your bandages?"

Mai seemed stumped for a moment, how could she explain tha - wait…

"I-I did." She answered as she pushed herself away from Ven, looking down at her toes as she wiped her face. "But it was hurting so bad and I was struggling to get the bandages on, and I…"

"Oh," Ventus nodded in understanding. "So you were just getting frustrated." He established. Mai looked up at him. "Is it normal for somebody to cry in frustration?" She asked, having never actually done it herself before.

Ventus nodded as he walked back over to pick up the sticks he'd dropped. "I've done it tons of times." He said, hoping to reassure Mai. "But still," He started as he dropped the sticks onto the burned out fire and set them alight with a match. "You should've just waited for me to come back"

"I know," Mai muttered as she looked back down. "It just hurt too much. Besides, you were gone for _hours_!" She exclaimed. It seemed like a fake smile was all that she would need to fool Ven, along with a good excuse. But why did she lie to him, was there really any need?

Ventus merely chuckled at her and pulled a tin of soup out of his backpack before he pulled the backpack onto his back, he then placed the tin carefully on the fire and left it there to cook. "So…sweet dreams?" Ventus asked, trying to start a conversation as he looked over at Mai, whom was putting her clothes back on.

The brunette paused for a moment, recollecting her dream for a moment from last night before she shook her head and threw on her kimono, along with the belt. "Not that I can remember." She answered. Did she dream last night? She could've sworn she had, but she just couldn't remember any of it.

Shaking it off, Mai stood up and walked over to Ventus. "What about you?" Sitting beside the blonde, he nodded enthusiastically and began to go on about his dream, but Mai couldn't hear him, all she could hear were Kura's last words to her; _"Catch ya later."_

The brunette shook her head to clear her mind – the action unnoticed by Ven – and smiled, she knew that she would see Kura again, something deep inside her told her that. And when she does see him, she can introduce him to Ventus, Terra and Aqua, and then the five of them can watch the stars on the summit, just like she'd done with them, but when she was with Kura, her other friends were never around, and vice versa.

Mai grinned, there was no reason to be sad about saying 'goodbye', anyway, because no matter what, it's never goodbye, it doesn't matter who says it, or when they say it…goodbye is a word with no meaning.

Mai looked over at Ventus, who was grinning like a little kid as he explained his dream to her, it was something about them, Terra and Aqua, and when they would all hang out after training. Mai didn't get all of it, but she enjoyed listening to him and his bizarre imagination.

* * *

><p>Shortly after breakfast, the teens packed their things and set off through the forest in search of some kind of town. But so far all they found was nothing but an empty castle. "Maybe we should go back…nobody's here." Mai exclaimed, her emerald eyes looking around the huge hall, at the far end of the hall, opposite the front doors, was a small throne, and to the right was a spiral staircase.<p>

Ventus pondered for a moment before he started for the staircase. "Y'never know; the people in this castle might just be sleeping." He said before he walked up the stairs.

"Huh? VEN!" Mai called after him before she ran after him, but just as she was halfway through the hall, a horde of Unversed appeared in front of her. "Oh, crap." Mai muttered as she stepped back, unsheathing her sword and scanned over the Unversed.

Mai sighed, knowing that Ventus would be too busy searching for Terra, but she didn't mind kicking the Unversed's asses on her own, in fact it would make her feel all that more triumphant when she defeated them.

"Hm, how many of you guys are there…" She mumbled to herself while counting the monsters. "Ten…this should be easy." Mai chuckled to herself. Despite the fact that the group of monsters was mainly made up of the large Unversed, she could take them on!

* * *

><p>"Hm, still no sign of Terra." Ventus mumbled to himself as he wandered through a long hallway. He knew that Mai would probably just wait by the door if she thought nobody was in the castle, so why trouble her by forcing her to follow him?<p>

Ventus continued to walk until he came to the end of the hallway, but to his left was a wooden brown door. Curiosity getting the better of him, Ven gently knocked on the door, but when he didn't receive an answer he slowly pushed the door open and walked inside.

Looking around the room, Ven realised that he was in someone's bedroom; there was a small dresser, a chair in , and a few other bedroom-like things, but the main thing that caught his attention was the bed, it's quilt was a deep purple, which made it stand out from the rest of the room, and there was a girl sleeping in the bed. She had sun-kissed blonde hair with a tiara on her head, and her features her innocent and soft. Ventus quietly tiptoed over to her sleeping form and noticed just how beautiful this girl was.

The blonde was awestruck for a moment as he was enchanted by her beauty. "Stop, you get away from her!" A feminine voice yelled, snapping Ventus out of his thoughts. He turned on his heel to face the voice, but he was completely taken by surprise when he saw three short women, one in a blue dress, one in green, and the other in red. The one thing that they all had in common, though, were the wands in their hands and the wings on their backs!

The three of them were glaring at the blonde and held their wands up threateningly. "Wha- Oh, I'm sorry." Ventus said quickly, raising his hands up in defence. "It's just," he started - slightly embarrassed - he dropped his hands to his side and walked over to the fairies while rubbing the back of his neck, "I've never seen anyone so pretty." He said kindly, a light pink staining his cheeks.

The red fairy came forward, floating in front of him. "Who are you?" She asked before she circled around him, inspecting him carefully.

"Oh, I'm Ventus. But you can call me Ven." The blonde answered proudly, pointing to himself with his thumb.

The green fairy then stepped forward. "Oh…you don't seem bad, dear. I'm certain you have a pure heart, just like our precious Aurora."

"Can you tell me why she's sleeping?" Ventus asked, looking over his shoulder to see the sleeping girl before he switched his gaze back onto the fairies. The red fairy frowned, now floating in front of him. "Long ago, Maleficent cursed her. Now she's stolen her heart." She answered sadly.

Ventus crossed his arms over his chest in deep thought. "Hm…Well then, why don't I go get it back for her?" He questioned, more than happy to do the job.

"Yeah, you'll go out of your way to help a stranger, but you'll leave _me_ to fight off the Unversed on my own…not that I'm complaining, I like a challenge." Mai said from the open doorway, causing Ventus to look over in alarm. "What?" He blinked.

Mai giggled at him and walked into the room, there were a few smudges of dirt on her face and clothes and she swung her sword around in her hand skilfully before she sheathed it. As she walked further into the room; Mai saw in her peripheral vision that Ventus wasn't talking to himself. She stopped short and laughed awkwardly as she glanced at the fairies. "Uh…Hey." Was all she could mutter.

"And who might you be?" The green fairy, Fauna, asked as she floated over to the brunette.

Mai looked up at Fauna and grinned. "I'm Mai, Mai-Lin…But I prefer to be called by my first name." She said kindly. The blue fairy, Merryweather, looked at Mai strangely; the brunette met her gaze and sent her a confused glance. "Is there something on my face?" She asked, tracing her fingers over her cheek lightly before she saw the other fairies sending her similar glances, she began to feel uneasy by the stares.

Ventus looked back and forth between Mai and the fairies before he stood in front of Mai, taking the unwanted attention from her, rubbed the back of his neck as he laughed nervously. "Right then, shall we get going?" He asked.

* * *

><p>Flora - the fairy in red, Fauna and Merryweather led the teens through the Forbidden Woods - apparently it was the same area where the pair had slept the night before. There were way more Unversed in the Forbidden Woods than any of the previous worlds Mai and Ventus had visited, and the fact that there were no Unversed around when they went to sleep last night only confused them further.<p>

Soon enough they came to a clearing with only one other exit; which was between two cliff sides, and beyond it was a narrow looking road, but at the very end of the path stood a dark, ominous castle.

There was only one problem...they couldn't actually get to it.

In their way was some kind of barrier to stop any trespassers from entering; it was like a thin wall of neon green fire with dark purple smoke rising from it. "Looks like we're stuck." Ventus pointed out as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious." she mocked, earning a playful glare from the blonde.

Flora turned towards the teens. "This must be Maleficent's doing." She said.

Mai glanced up to see how high the barrier was before she looked over at Fauna, practically seeing the light bulb switch on above the fairy's head. "I know." She exclaimed before she floated towards the fire barrier, and with a flick of her wand the flames of the fire began to die, taking the smoke with it. Fauna turned back to the small group and smiled sweetly and proudly. "Shall we?" She asked.

The teens nodded and decided to take the lead. Ahead of them was nothing but a narrow, rocky road that lead up to the dark castle. Mai stared up at the castle, seeing a few crows flying around it. "I'm guessing that's where Maleficent is?" Mai questioned as she looked over her shoulder. The fairies nodded and flew ahead of them. Thankfully there were no Unversed on the road ahead, but if there were Mai and Ventus could only run passed them, there was no way they'd risk falling off the road, especially since it was a _long_ way down.

Straight through the grand gate of the castle was a large and deserted-looking courtyard, Mai felt a violent shiver run down her spine, causing her to latch onto Ventus' sleeve almost automatically. "Huh?" He looked over at the brunette, only to see her shoulders shaking. "It's okay, Mai," he chuckled as he patted her head reassuringly. "You got me here, so there's nothing to be afraid of." He said.

Mai reluctantly nodded and let go of his arm, but just as she did the group was surrounded by strange creatures; they looked just like…overgrown pigs? "Uh," was all Mai could say before one of the pigs tried to stab at her with its spear, she could see the attack coming in the corner of her eye and jumped out of the way before the creature could wound her. Mai unsheathed her sword when she was steady on her feet and held the weapon firmly by her side. "Well, I guess we gotta sort these guys out first before we take down Maleficent." She said. Ventus nodded and summoned his KeyBlade, but what Mai found interesting was that even the three fairies got involved in the battle.

The overgrown creatures were surprisingly quite easy to defeat, even if they did have speed on their side, but Ventus was much faster than them, and even with such an advantage he looked like he was having a little trouble fighting off the goons.

"You okay over there, kiddo?" Mai asked as she blocked another attack, she quickly knocked the weapon out of the pig's hands before it could regain it's footing and sliced through its torso, sending it into the dark abyss in a flurry of green flames, just like the others had done when defeated.

Ventus nodded and swung repeatedly at a pig, but it managed to block some of his attacks, much to Ven's annoyance; but with one more swing of his KeyBlade he sent the pig into darkness within flames. "Yeah, still getting used to the fact that they're _pigs_, though." He answered, causing Mai to giggle at him before she ran over to help him. Flora, Fauna and Merryweather seemed to be doing a really good job at attacking the creature's and finished off their fair share quite some time ago, so they also decided to assist Ven, seeing as he was having trouble.

When all of the pigs were defeated, Mai placed her sword back in her sheath as Ventus disarmed his KeyBlade. "That was weird…" Mai mumbled as she glanced around. The group fell silent for a moment before a crow hawked up ahead, causing Mai to jump with a small scream. Ventus chuckled as he looked up at the bird. "Relax, it's just a crow." He said, patting Mai on the shoulder. She turned to him and cleared her throat. "Hrm, I-I knew that." She said as she rubbed the back of her neck, slightly embarrassed.

Ventus rolled his eyes. "Right~" He dragged out, grinning at the small glare the brunette sent him. "Either way, we'd better go look for Aurora's heart." He said before he started for a large arch way on the other side of the courtyard; where a dark, empty doorway stood. Absentmindedly, Mai reached out for Ven's hand as they began to walk through the opening, the fairies right behind them. Ahead of them was a long corridor, growing darker with each step.

As she walked, Mai couldn't help but wonder why Ventus had a harder time fighting off those creatures than she did; he was faster, stronger and more skill-

_Wait a second…_

It must've been Kura; he could've be the reason. Maybe because Mai now knew that she wouldn't see him for a while that she felt the need to show her skill more, no longer relying on Kura coming back to tell her where she went wrong and how she could improve.

So that would explain why she was more focused and more skilled than Ventus; he would only have the regular training sessions with everybody else, he never got any private lessons, except for every now and then when he, Mai, Terra and Aqua would meet up on the summit and practice. So that means that Mai was a few steps ahead of Ven when it came to battle; thanks to Kura, she could now teach Ventus a thing or two to give him an easier time on their adventure.

When the five of them reached the end of the hallway, it gave way to a large circular room with stairs beside them that lead up to a throne, in the centre of the room stood two more of Maleficent's goons, only this time there wasn't just an overgrown pig, buta _bird _as well.

"Careful, they're Maleficent's." Flora warned as they stood in the opening, trying to keep out of sight. Ventus shrugged. "Well they ain't guarding nothin'." He said, summoning his KeyBlade. Mai grabbed his shoulder, causing him to look at her. "Don't do anything that might get you in too bad a situation." She said, causing him to look at her strangely. Soon he nodded and looked back over at the creatures, catching sight of the bird yawning, Ventus took that as his chance to attack.

He quickly turned to Mai and nodded before the pair started for the animals. "Ten-shun!" Ven shouted as he ran over, catching the creatures' attention. Stopping a yard or two away from them, Ventus sunk down into his fighting position, Mai doing the same as she unsheathed her sword. "No sleeping on the job!" Ventus said playfully, causing Mai to grin at the back of his head.

But her smile soon dropped when a horde of creatures came running through the doorway on the opposite side of the room. Mai glared at Ven. "You had to open your big mouth." She dead panned. Ventus glanced at her over his shoulder and chuckled apologetically before he turned his attention back to the goons that began to circle the duo, the birds readying their bows with arrows and the pigs steadying their spears.

Let the battle commence…

* * *

><p><em><span>10 minutes later…<span>_

Mai blocked an attack from a pig with ease and sliced through it's neck before it could swing at her again, thankful that it disappeared before any of it's blood spat out of the wound. That would've been gross. Mai didn't have to time sink into her victory as she quickly swung her sword upwards to throw off the arrow that was sent her way. Looking around she caught sight of the bird who had attacked her. "C'mere ya little sucker," she mumbled as she charged at the creature and stabbed it through the head before it could launch another arrow at her.

Mai smirked and flung her sword up to rest on her shoulder. "Hmph, that'll teach ya." She exclaimed before she turned to help Ventus fight of his half of the creatures, while the fairies took care of their own fair share. There were way more creatures than the previous battle, so they took longer to defeat, and it was really starting to take it's toll on the battling teenagers.

Ventus took deep breaths in order to keep focus as he attacked a bird, landing a critical hit and sent it into oblivion. "Yes," he grinned before he turned on his heel to see Mai running over to him. "Need some help?" She asked, slightly out of breath. Ventus nodded and sunk down into his fighting stance. "Thanks." He said, looking over the remaining creatures that Maleficent used to guard her castle. There were still a few left, but it was nothing that they couldn't handle.

Only a few minutes later and the room was clear. Ventus took a deep breaths to calm the adrenaline pumping through his veins and wiped away at the sweat that lingered on his forehead with the back of his arm. "Phew, that took longer than expected." He established, keeping his KeyBlade in his grasp just in case any more of those creatures popped up. Mai nodded. "You're telling me." She said, putting her blade away and turned to Flora. "So, do you guys actually know where Aurora's heart is, or are we just gonna keep running around this castle until we find it?" Mai asked in pure wonderment, silently praying to Olympus that the fairies would go with the former.

Flora paused for a moment before she flew down to the teens' level. "I can sense her light from here, it isn't too far." She answered before she and the other two fairies flew over to the exit at the other side of the room. Mai stared after the fairies with a raised brow. "Sense her light…?" She repeated to herself before she glanced over at Ven, who was looking at her strangely. "Um…Do I have something on my face?" Mai couldn't help but ask as she wiped her face over with her gloved hands.

Ventus snapped himself out of his thoughts and shook his head with a smile. "No, just thinking." He answered, causing Mai to send him a confused glance as the two of them walked after the fairies. "Like what?" She questioned. Ventus seemed hesitant to speak for a moment until he sighed. "Well, I've noticed that you've been acting a little strange lately." He said, looking ahead as they walked through another dark corridor.

Feeling Mai latch onto his sleeve, he couldn't help but chuckle. "What do you mean?" She asked, slightly worried; what if Ventus actually did see her and Kura in the forest that morning, but he was just too scared to mention anything about it. No, it wouldn't have been that, Ven was still calling for her even after Kura left; that boy had such a bad sense of direction at times. Mai shook her head to clear her rambling thoughts before she looked over to where she _thought _Ventus was, but it was too dark to see, making her grip on his sleeve tighten.

Ventus glanced over in her direction and felt something graze his chin, realising that it was Mai's nose he quickly turned his head away. "Sorry," he mumbled before he looked up ahead, catching sight of the light at the end of the hall. "I mean; one minute you're spacing out, and then the next you're bouncing around like you were hyped up on sugar." He said.

Mai glanced upwards. "I'm always like that," she said. Ventus sighed. "I guess," he muttered before he tilted his head slightly towards her. "But what about that fight back there, you were acting like you were used to all of those creatures. And where the hell did all of those moves come from? It was like you've been practising without us, or something." He explained.

"Oh," was all that Mai could say before a thought popped into her head. "That might be because…I kind've have been practising." She said, trying her best to sound awkward about it, but it must've worked because Ventus seemed to buy it. "Oh, right. Well why did you only start fighting like that back there, then? Why haven't I ever seen you fight like that before?" He wondered, the light at the end of the tunnel getting much closer with each step, in the light he could faintly make out three sparkly blurs of red, green, and blue.

Mai had to think through her words carefully before she spoke. "I'm not actually sure myself." She answered with a nervous chuckle. "Maybe it's because I finally realise that we're gonna have to fight our asses off if we want to find Terra?" She wondered. It was actually a possibility; knowing that she needed to perform her best if she and Ventus were going to find Terra could've been another reason why she wasn't holding back on anything that Kura taught her.

Ventus stayed silent for a moment, causing Mai to lean forward to check he was still breathing - he was literally that silent. Happy that Ven was, in fact, converting oxygen into carbon dioxide, she leaned back and awaited his reply. "Hm, I guess you're right about that," he finally said. "Maybe I should pick up the slack a little myself, then. I can't leave you picking up from where I can't finish." He exclaimed, deep in thought.

When the pair reached the end of the tunnel they caught sight of the three fairies. "Oh, there you are." Flora sighed in relief when she saw them, earning Fauna and Merryweather's attention as well. "We thought you may have gotten taken away by Maleficent's goons." Fauna exclaimed with a horrified expression on her face. Merryweather nodded in agreement. "Yes, and there was no way we could get Aurora's heart without you. After all, without you we wouldn't even be here." She said with a smile.

The teens exchanged a glance and grinned. "Never would've thought that I'd be inspirational." Ventus exclaimed awfully smugly.

Mai rolled her eyes with a giggle before she looked over at the fairies, but something behind them caught her eye. Looking passed them, Mai saw that at the far end of the huge hall was a small, green fire; but behind it was some kind of glowing orb that radiated light bright enough to be seen all the way from the other side of the gigantic room. "Hey, is that Aurora's heart?" She asked, looking back at the three women. Fauna nodded. "Yes, it is." She said.

Mai nodded. "Alright, then, let's go get it." She exclaimed before she started for the orb in a speedy jog. Flora, Fauna and Merryweather only watched as Ventus ran after her, calling her name. However, Mai was sent flying back when the floor suddenly rose in front of her to block her from going any further, but the wall didn't rise fast enough and her foot landed of the edge of where the floor rose and sent her lying back. Ventus saw this and jumped ahead to catch her before she hit the floor, but from the speed she was coming towards him it sent him to the ground with Mai laid sideways on his torso.

"Ow," Mai muttered as she pulled herself up into a sitting position and rubbed her now sore head. When she realised what broke her fall she looked over at Ventus and raised a brow. He just laid there, twitching. "Kiddo…?" She questioned as she leaned in to get a closer look at him. Ventus seemed to stop twitching and looked up at the ceiling. "Ah, my head." He groaned as he sat up, rubbing the back of his own throbbing head.

Fauna sweat dropped. "I guess that only proves our theory," she said, causing Flora and Merryweather to nod eagerly in agreement. Mai reached out and brushed Ven's bangs out of his eyes to get a better look at his scrunched up face. "Sorry," She said with a small giggle. Ventus could only chuckle at her, his face now soft as her warm fingers began to search his head for any growing lumps from when he hit his head.

Happy that his head was lump free for the meantime, Mai smiled at him. "All clear," she established before she pushed herself onto her feet and held out a hand for him. Ventus took her hand almost instantly and allowed her to help him to his feet before the pair looked over at the fairies. "Well, what do we do know?" Ven asked. The fairies seemed to think it over for a moment before Merryweather came forward, she slowly flew passed the teens and towards the wall, looking it over before she started to float to the right, until she came across what looked like some kind of yellow portal.

"Here, I think I know how to reach Aurora's heart!" She exclaimed as she waved everybody over to the portal. Mai stood beside Ventus as she looked down at the glowing yellow circle on the ground. "How do we know it's safe?" She asked, looking up at the fairies. The looks on their faces showed that they didn't have an answer to Mai's question.

Ventus stood there in deep thought for a few seconds before he stepped forward. "I'll check it." He offered, but Mai simply grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "No you won't," she said firmly, glancing at him with a worried look on her face. "What if it takes you somewhere and you can't get back?" She asked.

Ventus thought on it for a moment before he smiled and dug deep into his pocket, he pulled out his green Wayfinder. He grinned as he looked up at Mai, she stared at the charm in his hand before reaching into the front of her kimono and pulled out her purple Wayfinder, she held it beside Ven's and stared down at the star-shaped charms before she glanced up at Ven. "As soon as you get to the other side; shout." She demanded, the worried look still on her face. Ventus nodded. "Will do." He chuckled.

When Ven could see that she was still a little bit scared he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'll be fine." He said with a reassuring smile as he looked at her. Mai couldn't help but smile at him and nodded once to show that she trusted him. The fairies watched the scene and exchanged glances before they watched Ventus step onto the yellow portal.

The blonde looked over at Mai with a reassuring smile. "I'll catch ya later." He said. Mai nodded and began to nervously chew on her blunt thumbnail as she held her Wayfinder close to her chest. Ventus tightened his grip on his own charm, his arms firm by his side before a yellow light engulfed him, causing Mai to squeeze her eyes shut from the bright light. It wasn't until the light faded that she finally opened her eyes, only to see that the blonde was nowhere in sight. "Ven…?" She asked as she stepped towards the portal.

"Hey Mai." She heard Ventus' voice from somewhere close by. Looking ahead, Mai could see half of his face peeking through a hole in the wall behind the portal before he nodded his head towards the yellow circle on the ground. "Go on, it's actually kinda fun." He said, causing the brunette to laugh lightly. Mai hesitantly looked down at the portal before she looked up at the fairies. "Come now, dear," Fauna started as she lightly pushed her towards the portal, "you have nothing to be afraid of." She said sweetly with a warm smile.

Mai nodded before she reluctantly stepped onto the glowing circle, she was about to back out and jump off the portal, but before she had the chance she was engulfed by a bright light. Mai clenched her eyes shut in mild fear before she saw the light disappear from under her lids, she felt her knees give out from beneath her and her mind grew fuzzy as she fell to the floor, but before she hit the ground Mai felt two arms wrap around her to keep her steady.

"Woah," Ventus started. Mai lazily opened her eyes and looked up at the blonde above her, he was keeping her from hitting her head on the cobblestone floor. "You okay?" He asked with concern. Her mind was still a little fuzzy and Ven's face was blurry in her eyes, but she nodded none the less. Ventus stared down at her, not fully believing her before he helped her to stand up straight. "Maybe next time we should go together." He suggested. Mai nodded again, her body feeling too weak to waste energy on speaking and walked around Ven to allow Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather to pass through.

Once they were all together again they started for the next portal, which could be spotted only a few yards away, but as they were halfway there more of Maleficent's goons showed up, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Again?" Ventus questioned as he summoned his KeyBlade and sunk down into his fighting stance. Mai sighed. "How many of them are there?" She asked as she whipped out her sword, holding the weapon firmly by her side, her head was a little clearer; so Mai felt fine to fight.

The fairies helped teens to fight off the goons again, and it didn't take too long to defeat them, so the group of five were on their way again rather quickly. This time the portal was a cerulean blue, and as Mai stared down at the portal she couldn't help but think to herself that the colour was so similar to Ven's eyes. Mai sighed as they reached the portal and felt something warm around her hand, looking down she saw Ventus holding her hand in his fairly large one. "We're gonna go together this time." He said, causing Mai to look up at him. Catching his gaze, she nodded. Ven started for the portal, leading Mai by her hand and stood next to her on the blue circle before the two were absorbed by a blue light and taken to another part of the hall.

But even though Ventus was with her this time, Mai still felt her power being drained from the teleportation. When Ven saw her limp body he reached down and picked her up bridal style. "How many more of these things do we have to go through?" Mai asked in a weak voice, her arms hanging loosely around his neck. Ventus shrugged. "I'm not sure." He said with a worried tone as he carried her away from the portal so that the fairies could pass through. Mai managed to regain focus fairly quickly and informed Ven that she could stand before they all set off, but there wasn't a portal to pass through this time; instead there was a dark corridor that they had to walk through.

Mai groaned with discomfort as they all walked through the doorway, the fairies flying up ahead. She reached out and hugged Ven's arm tightly, not that any of them really cared. As they walked through the dark passageway, the teens could hear the fairies whispering among themselves; but the pair could only hear some of the conversation. "Do you really think it's her?" Fauna asked in a hushed voice.

"Yes," Merryweather whispered. "Maleficent placed those portals everywhere to keep _her_ away, it's only natural that…" They couldn't hear the rest of her sentence, causing Mai to silently groan in annoyance. Ventus chuckled, having hearing her small protest and looked over to where he imagined she was. "Don't worry, it's probably nothing to do with us, anyway." He said. Mai sighed before she nodded, but then remembered that he couldn't see her. "Y-Yeah, I guess you're right." She mumbled as they got closer to the dim light at the end of the corridor.

Once they were all out of the darkness, the pair realised that they were back inside the hall, just on the opposite side where they had started through the dark corridor. "Wha…? I didn't realise there were corners in there." Ventus exclaimed as he looked over his shoulder, his eyes staring down the tunnel before he looked out and scanned the hall."This is starting to freak me out." Mai stated as her grip tightened on his arm.

Ventus nodded. "Yeah, me too." He said, although the only evidence to prove his words was the confused expression on his face. The fairies looked back at them and smiled reassuringly. "Now, now, dears; Maleficent is one to feed on the fear in your hearts." Flora exclaimed. "You cannot allow her to see that she is weakening you." She said, earning a nod of agreement from Fauna and Merryweather.

Mai hesitated before she took a deep breath and nodded.

"You hear that Maleficent?" Ventus called out suddenly and stepped forward, his eyes upwards. His sudden outburst caused the brunette beside him to jump. "You ain't gonna scare us!" He yelled, the four women around him exchanged a quick glance before they giggled at him, causing the blonde to blush out of embarrassment. Mai released her grip from his arm and looked up. "We know what you're up to!" She shouted with a toothy grin, but almost as if Maleficent had heard them; more of her goons popped up out of nowhere.

Everybody was shocked to see the birds and pigs before they quickly regained themselves and summoned their weapons. "I guess we kinda deserved that." Ventus chuckled as he and Mai stood back to back to see all of the monster while the fairies took care of a few on their own. Mai nodded. "I think you're right there, kiddo." She said before they both charged toward the creatures.

* * *

><p><em><span>45 minutes later…<span>_

"Finally!" Mai yelled as she, Ventus, and the fairies walked up to Aurora's heart. It was something that was unfamiliar to the teens, but they didn't allow it to distract them much. The princess' heart was surrounded by neon green flames to stop anybody from stealing it.

Mai got into her thinking pose as she thought. "Hm, how do we get it?" She asked herself, but it was loud enough for everybody else to hear. Ventus stood there for a moment before he stepped forward; his KeyBlade in hand. He aimed the tip of his weapon towards the heart, and just as he did light began to glow from the tip of his Wayward Wind and shot out to the heart, it extinguished the flames and before anybody could retrieve the heart it floated toward the sky on its own, finding it's own way back to Aurora.

"That should do it." Ventus grinned as he looked over to Mai, she smiled back at him before a blinding light filled her vision, causing her to close her eyes and flinch back. When the light died down she reluctantly opened her eyes and found herself back in the forest they had walked through to get to Maleficent's castle.

But she wasn't alone. Mai looked over at the two people who were standing by the lake; one of them she recognised as Aurora, and the other was a man, he was tall and had light brown hair with dark brown eyes. He approached Aurora slowly. "Don't you remember? We've met before." He said as he stood in front of her, taking hold of her hand.

Aurora looked up at him surprised. "We…we have?" She asked, unsure of herself. The man nodded and leaned down towards her. "Why of course. You said so yourself – once upon a dream." He exclaimed. At his words Aurora looked up at him and smiled before she looked out to the lake and rested her head on his shoulder. "I never thought I would meet you – outside of my dreams, that is." Aurora sighed dreamily.

A moment of silence passed before the man looked down at her. "Who are you? What's your name?" He asked, causing Mai to raise a brow.

_This guy is making such a big deal over Aurora and he doesn't even know who she is?_

Aurora lifted her head from his shoulder. "Hm? Oh, my name…Why, its…" She quickly cut herself off as she looked up at the man. "Oh, oh no, I can't…" She said dreadfully, shaking her head as she backed away from him. "Goodbye." She said before she began to run away - in Mai's direction - but the man called after her. "I must see you!" He yelled, causing her to stop.

Aurora looked over her shoulder to see him. "I don't know, maybe someday." She said quickly before she started towards Mai. The man ran after her. "When? Tomorrow?" He asked hopefully. Aurora stopped again and turned to fully face him. "Oh, no. This evening! At the cottage, in the glen." She answered before she turned and ran straight through Mai.

The brunette gasped from the sudden chills that ran down her spine and felt as though she was slowly being dragged along with Aurora, causing her to fall back onto her butt. The blinding light appeared again, causing Mai to flinch back and cover her eyes with her sleeved arm.

When the light died down Mai dropped her arm and opened her eyes, finding herself back inside the dark castle, she looked around and noticed that she was sitting on the ground. "What was that?" She asked, looking up at the fairies. Ventus looked down at her and raised a brow. "When did fall on the ground?" He asked before he held a hand out for Mai, to which she immediately took and allowed the blonde to help her to her feet.

"Aurora's memory." Flora answered as she came forward, Fauna and Merryweather on either side of her. "She must have gotten her heart back." She said, causing Ventus to smile. "So her dream came true!" He exclaimed. Flora nodded. "Yes, not long ago. Dreams are very strong beliefs. Aurora's lead her to her true love." She said.

Fauna came forward with a smile. "I see you hold strong beliefs too. Don't you, dears?" She asked. Ventus flashed his teeth with a wide, cheesy grin. "Yup." He chuckled. "You also have a strong light." Flora added, pointing her words at Ven. The blonde thought on her words for a moment before he looked over at Mai, only to see that she was completely zoned out and in her usual thinking pose.

"Mai…?" He questioned as he turned to face her with a raised brow, Mai looked up at the sound of her name with a confused expression on her face before she glanced over at the fairies. "If Ventus was the one to save Aurora's heart…then why did I see her memory as well?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

The fairies exchanged a quick glance before they looked back at Mai. "We're not all too sure, my dear." Fauna said before Merryweather stepped forward "All right. Hurry, we can't stay here!" She said hurriedly. The fairies nodded and started for the exit on the other side of the hall. Mai could only sigh as she followed behind the fairies, slightly annoyed that she couldn't ask them anything else. But the only bright side was that as they walked through the hall they didn't have to take the portals, the walls had dropped and allowed them to leave without any disruptions.

Once the group left the hall and into the previous room they had entered, they noticed a woman standing in the centre of the circular room. She was tall and there was barely anything to her - she looked that thin and bony through her black coat - she also had a staff in her grasp with a sickening green coloured orb sitting atop it and black horns on her head. Her back was turned away from the group when they entered the room.

"Someone has released Aurora's heart." She said before she slowly turned to face them. "Tell me, child, was it you?" She asked. The minute Mai saw the witch's face she felt her knees grow weak, she could barely keep herself standing, and her vision blurred over slightly.

"Maleficent!" Flora warned. When Maleficent's bright yellow eyes landed on the troubled brunette she smirked. Ventus was unaware of Mai's sudden condition and summoned his KeyBlade while he glared at the witch. "Only 'cause you stole it in the first place!" He yelled and charged at Maleficent. He leaped into the air with his weapon above his head and sliced downward, but before his KeyBlade could do the woman damaged she disappeared within green flames.

Ventus stepped back from the fire as it died down and looked over the room. "A KeyBlade…You must be Ventus." Maleficent exclaimed from the higher platform on the side of the room, she then looked over at Mai and smirked. "And how could I forget you, Mai?" She questioned, causing both teens to gasp.

Ventus took a glance at Mai, only to now realise how weak she looked, before he glared fiercely up at the witch. "How do you know about us…and the KeyBlade?" He asked as Mai came beside him, her sword in hand. He looked over at her with a worried glance, but took note that she no longer looked dizzy; and was standing firm on her feet.

Ventus mentally sighed in relief before he looked back up at Maleficent. "My powers ensure I'd know of the key to bringing me hearts." She answered, her cold voice sending chills through the room. "Terra gave me a demonstration." She added with a wicked smirk. Ventus' spine went rigid at her words. "Terra...? He was here?" Ventus questioned.

Mai growled under her breath, her hands absent-mindedly tightening around the hilt of her sword with each word the witch said. Maleficent saw her aggressive body language and held back a laugh. "Why, yes. In fact, it was he who stole Aurora's heart." She exclaimed, feeding off the teens' look of pure shock. Mai shook her head in disagreement. "Stop lying!" She screamed and charged towards Maleficent. She jumped up to the platform with her sword ready and landed on her feet atop the platform, but she gasped when she noticed that Maleficent was no longer standing there, just dying green flames where she was recently stood.

Mai looked around frantically to find the pale and bony witch, but she was nowhere in sight. Mai glanced down at Ven, only to see that he was also looking around. "I was asked to leave you unharmed…" The witch's voice echoed throughout the room, causing Mai to tremble lightly. "But it seems I have no choice!" Mai gasped as she heard Maleficent's voice right behind her, but before she could turn around she felt something hard collide with the back of her head, knocking her sword out of her hand and sent her off the platform.

Ventus gasped. "Mai!" He called out as he ran to catch her, but before he was even halfway Mai's body collided with the cold, stone floor, her weapon landing beside her. A light groan emitted from Mai's lips as she stared at the ground. "Ow," She muttered before she pushed her arms underneath her in attempt to push herself up, but the brunette's arms shook too much out of shock from the sudden fall and instead gave way beneath her.

Ventus kneeled beside her and rolled her over so she was on her back. "Mai, are you okay?" He asked as he looked down at her. Blood trickled from her mouth and nose, but Mai shrugged it off. She gave a dry chuckle and nodded. "I'm fine." She said as she sat up and wiped the blood away with her sleeve, at least nobody would notice the stain later – the blood and her sleeve were pretty much the same shade of red.

Ventus placed a hand on each of her shoulders to keep her steady. "Are you sure? Maybe you should sit out for this one." He suggested quietly. Mai looked at him with a raised a brow, she opened her mouth - about to decline - but before she could muster out a word she was cut of by a certain green witch. "I'll let you two finish conversing once I've disposed of you both!" Maleficent said as she appeared behind Ventus within her green flames and prepared to strike him down with her staff.

Maleficent gasped as her attack was blocked, but quickly regained her posture and glared down at Mai. The brunette held the hilt of her sword firmly and pushed into Maleficent's staff, soon knocking the weapon out of her hand. The witch looked back at her weapon as it landed on the ground far away from her before she looked back at the teens; seeing that Mai was about to throw an attack at her she quickly disappeared within green flames, reappearing beside her staff.

Maleficent leaned down and picked up the weapon, glaring at the pair when she stood up straight. Ventus stood up and walked beside Mai before summoning his KeyBlade. "How did you move that fast?" He asked Mai as he sunk down into his fighting stance, tilting his head so that he could see her in the corner of his eye, but was still able to see Maleficent at the same time to watch that she didn't try to surprise attack him again. The brunette stood with both hands on the hilt of her sword with the blade horizontal in front of her face. "That's another thing you can hold over my head until later." She said, focusing on the witch on the other side of the hall.

Ventus groaned. "Aw, but I'm starting to lose track of everything." He complained. Mai sighed and whipped her sword to her side in her usual stance, in the corner of her eye she could see three orbs of light floating towards them; one red, the other blue, and then green. "At least they're gonna help us in this fight." Mai mumbled to herself under her breath.

"You'll pay for this." Maleficent warned before she cast a lightning spell, aiming it at Mai. The brunette moved out of the way just in time to evade the attack and charged at the witch, Ventus saw her actions and followed.

Mai jumped ahead and swung her sword at the witch, but before she could land a hit the bony woman disappeared again within her green flames. Mai growled as she stepped away from the fire so she wouldn't get burned and looked over her shoulder, only to see Maleficent appear behind Ventus. "Ven!" She called out. The blonde spun around in alarm and quickly raised his KeyBlade to block the attack Maleficent threw at him, countering her attack left her wide open and Ven took that as his chance to slash his KeyBlade at her a few times.

She managed to block his fourth attack and disappeared again, much to the teens' dismay, but she reappeared in the centre of the room and a green glow began to emit from her. Mai looked over at the fairies and noticed that they were spinning in a small circle and surrounded by light. Ventus took that as a sign and began to run over to them with Mai a little behind, but the moment Ventus reached the light Maleficent released the green glow that surrounded her.

Mai didn't have enough time to reach the fairies' light before the green light pinned on her, weighing her down enough to stop in her tracks. Suddenly her eyes began to feel like lead and she struggled to stand on her own two feet. "Wh…What is this?" Mai asked, her voice soft and weak as she tried to shrug off the sleepiness that overwhelmed her.

Maleficent cackled as she walked over to Mai. "I have the power of sleep, child." She said, her voice icy and cold. "Mai!" Ventus cried as the fairies' light died down, he charged at Maleficent and swung his blade at her, but before he could land a hit she disappeared. Mai's breathing began to slow down before she felt as though a weight had just been dropped on her chest, knocking all of the air out of her. Ventus looked at Mai and stared wide eyed as she was lifted above the ground, the green glow seemed to squeeze the life out of her, he tried to reach out for her, but she was too high up.

"What did you do?" Ventus demanded to know as he glared at the witch, whom was standing back on her platform. She merely cackled and looked into the green orb atop her staff as it glowed and grazed her finger tips over the cold sphere. "I'm merely awakening the darkness locked away deep inside her heart." Maleficent answered as if it were nothing. At her words Mai cried out again, feeling her ribs beginning to tighten around her lungs and heart.

"Stop it!" Ven demanded as he charged at Maleficent, jumped onto the platform and swung at her, but again she disappeared, causing Ventus to scream out in frustration. Mai tried to breath in, but the grip around her chest only tightened, she tried to fight against the spell Maleficent had cast on her, but it only seemed to make things worse.

Ventus didn't know what to do, he looked over at the fairies for any sign of help; but he could only gasp when he saw that they were nowhere in sight, and Maleficent was gone as well - in fact, he realised that he wasn't even in the same room anymore; it was roughly the same size, and the floor was still cobblestone, but the walls were made of gigantic thorns that grew upwards toward the sky, some of the thorns didn't reach all of the way to the top, allowing some sunlight to shine down on the strange room, but only some of it, while small specks of light pushed through the gaps between the thorns.

He began to panic as he heard Mai scream out, and he knew that she was now in agony. Ventus began to run over to her before a cold cackle reached his ears, freezing him in his steps.

Maleficent continued to laugh as she appeared within neon green flames atop a large thorn that grew towards the centre of the room, but it was high enough to keep her safe from any attack then Ventus might attempt to throw at her. "Why does this feel so familiar…?" She asked nobody in particular. "This darkness…" Maleficent's voice trailed off as her eyes glanced down at the glowing orb. Mai began to silently whimper as she struggled further to breathe in air, causing the witch to grin. "That girl is nothing but a damsel for you, boy; awaiting for a knight to come and save her. She's useless, and from what I can see; she's nothing but a damsel in distress."

Mai opened her heavy eyes and glared at Maleficent as hard as she could. "I am not…a _damsel_!" She yelled as loud as she could with a breathless voice. The witch was a little shocked that Mai had finally spoke up, but smirked none the less. "Is that so?" Maleficent asked. "Well, let's see how well you fight against the darkness sleeping deep within your heart." She said as she continued to stroke the orb atop her staff, and as she did Mai began to feel herself slipping out of consciousness ever so slowly, earning an icy cold laugh from Maleficent.

"My, what strength you have hidden deep within." The witch mused as she looked into the orb. Ventus gritted his teeth together in annoyance and charged at Maleficent, he jumped as high as he could; managing to reach the thorn she stood on, but Maleficent seemed too distracted to notice that he was there. Ventus didn't waste any time and swung his KeyBlade at her, catching the orb and smashing it on contact.

Maleficent gasped in shock and recoiled from his sudden attack, but Ventus was more concentrated on Mai to care. He noticed that when he smashed the orb the green glow surrounding Mai disappeared and she fell to the ground with a loud thud, she was completely unconscious. Ventus ran to Mai and knelt down beside her before he rolled her over onto her back. "Mai, you okay?" He asked, moving her bangs from her face. Mai's eyebrows twitched from his touch, to which Ven sighed in relief, but he was taken aback when the brunette pushed him in the chest with a sudden force that knocked him onto his back.

Mai coughed a little as she sat up and twisted her body so that she was now on her hands and knees, her head hung low. Ventus rubbed his chest with a look of confusion on his face before a cold, high pitched laugh came from the brunette in front of him, causing him to flinch. "M-Mai," He started, a little frightened. That only caused her to laugh harder as she looked up at him. Ventus stared at her face in pure shock as he stared into the sickly golden eyes, the stare of those eyes made Ventus feel a cold shiver and goosebumps ran down his arms.

Maleficent laughed from up on the thorn. "Just as I'd thought…" She mused to herself and decided to sit back to watch the scene unfold.

The golden eyed Mai smirked at Ventus for a moment. "Cute kid." She exclaimed bluntly in a voice that sounded nothing like Mai's; it was cold and much sharper than any blade. Ventus stuttered over his words and rushed to get to his feet. "Wh-wha…What the hell…I-I mean-" He had completely run out of words to say as he backed away, not daring to take his eyes off Mai's golden orbs. She laughed again and stood up herself. The blonde could feel something dark coming from the brunette; the look in her eyes, the way she spoke, and even the way she moved...Ventus knew that no matter how much he denied it, he knew that it wasn't Mai he was looking at.

He gulped. Hard. "Wh-What did you do to Mai?" He demanded to know, and, despite the fear gripping at his chest, he paused in his steps and stood firm. The girl stared at him for a moment, leaning on her right legs with her hip popped out and her right hand resting on her hip, before she sniggered. "M-Mai? Is that really her name?" She questioned before she burst into a fit of laughter. Ventus flinched again at the sudden sound that sent violent shivers down his spine, her voice was so cold and sharp that he trembled whenever she opened her mouth.

When her laughter died down she looked at Ventus and reached out her right hand, her palm facing down before she flicked her wrist so her palm was facing the sky and flexed her fingers to a close so she was now holding a fist out to him. Ventus watched every movement she had made with her hand very carefully, but he surely didn't expect to then see her face inches from his within a millisecond and a sudden stinging pain in his stomach.

Mai grinned in his face as his legs gave out beneath him and clutched his stomach tightly, knowing that there would be a bruise there later. Mai stared down at him, her fist still where his stomach was a few seconds ago with a sick smirk that reached her ears, it looked like she face was about to split into two from the wide smirk. She rested her fist by her side and looked down at Ventus as he gasped for the air that was knocked out of him.

"Who…Who are you?" The blonde asked and looked up at who was hiding inside his best friend. The girl laughed coldly, sending another chill down his spine. He was about to stand up before Mai pushed her foot into Ven's chest and pushed him onto his back, digging her foot into his chest.

Ventus gasped aloud from the sudden weight on him and gripped Mai's ankle, trying to push her off, but she merely giggled. "I'll tell you now, kid; I'm no friend of yours." She answered, biting her tongue to keep her from laughing and ground her foot into Ven's chest painfully, causing him to cry out quietly.

Mai's golden eyes glistened sickeningly as Ventus stretched his right hand out to the side, summoning his KeyBlade. The girl saw this in the corner of her eye, but decided to humour the blonde a little, so she didn't move away to avoid the swing he threw at her until the last second. She landed a few yards away from him, the smirk still playing on her lips.

Ventus groaned painfully as he pushed himself up and used his KeyBlade for support to get to his feet. "But…You _are_ my friend." He said before he looked up at Mai. "You're my best friend!" He yelled, trying to break whatever spell Maleficent had cast on her.

The girl seemed a little shocked from Ventus' sudden outburst, but broke out into full out laughter, leaning forward and clutching her sides. Ven gritted his teeth together. "Mai, I know you're in there somewhere!" He yelled, taking a weary step towards her body. The girl still giggled as she stood up straight and watched as Ven steadily began to walk towards her.

"Just fight it." He told Mai before stood in front of her, looking deep into her golden eyes. "I know you can do it." He said, his voice barely above a whisper as he placed his hands on Mai's cheeks. He could see her face fall, as if she was thinking deeply as she stared straight back into his ocean blue orbs. Ventus smiled, hoping that he'd just broken the spell…only her eyes weren't returning to their natural shade of emerald green.

Ven could see her hands move in his peripheral vision, but he didn't think nothing of it and continued to smile sweetly at her. But the sudden smirk that grew on her lips made his face fall completely, he didn't have enough time to move out of the way before her arm swing diagonally upwards, sending him back.

Ventus could only stare at Mai before he caught sight of the sword she held firmly by her side; crimson red liquid stained the end half of the blade and dripped down onto the cold, stone floor from the tip of the sword. Ven gasped from the sudden pain that shot down his arm like a scorning fire as he looked down at his left arm, seeing the large cut running all the way from his wrist to his elbow, blood oozing from the wound like a fountain. He almost screamed.

Ven's entire face twisted in pain as the cut on his arm began to sting painfully, his body now realising that his skin was torn. He kept his right hand on the wound and pressed down on it to reduce the loss of blood, but his hand wasn't big enough to cover the whole wound. There was no way he could get his first aid kit out at a time like this, that crazy girl would kill him! "Aw, did I hurt the little baby?" Mai taunted as she started for him, her hips swaying smoothly with each step she took, but she didn't get very far before her eyes began to slide shut and her legs gave out beneath her and sent her crashing to the ground, her head making contact with the cobblestone floor with a loud thud, and as she fell the area around them faded and they were back inside Maleficent's throne room.

Ventus, despite the previous attack, gasped and rushed to her aid. "Mai!" He called out before he reached her side and sat down beside her. "Mai, are you okay?" He asked worriedly. He could see Mai's eyes begin to flicker open, showing their usual emerald green glow, earning a pure sigh of relief from Ven. Mai looked up at the blur of yellow and blue until her vision cleared. "V-…Ven?" She questioned and tried to push herself up, but her arms were too weak and gave out, causing her to head butt the ground again.

Mai gasped at the shocks of pure pain that shot through her brain, not from hitting her head…but it was from something else. "Mai. C'mon, get up." Ventus pleaded and reached out to pick her up, but the blood from his wound that he'd kept in with his hand poured out beside Mai's head, causing her to look over at the sound of liquid slapping against the floor.

"Is that…?" She wondered before she looked up at Ven's arm and gasped. "Ven, your arm!" She exclaimed with shock. Mai shook away the pain in her aching body and used all the strength she could muster to push herself up, she reached out and inspected Ven's arm for a few seconds. "What happened?" She asked, pressing down on the wound so he wouldn't lose too much blood.

"Why, child, I believe _you_ did that." Maleficent pointed out from above the platform, the biggest smirk on her face as she watched the previous scene unfold before her very eyes. The teens had almost forgotten where they were and that she was there, so when her voice reached their ears they both jumped, especially Ventus.

Mai stared up at the green witch in disbelief, the pounding in her head beginning to fade. "What are you talking about?" She demanded to know. "Mai," Ven started, causing Mai to look over at him. When she caught onto the look in his ocean blue orbs; Mai's face fell. "I…I did…" She couldn't seem to form her words as she stared down at the huge wound on Ven's arm, not believing that she would do something like that. It could've only happened in the past few seconds, though, Mai couldn't remember doing anything like that, everything in the past few seconds was just blank.

Maleficent cackled. "The proof is on that weapon you hold." She exclaimed, causing Mai to look up at her before she reluctantly looked down at the ground beside her, seeing her sword stained in blood. She could only stare down at the weapon before she began to helplessly shake her head. "No, no, no, no, no…" She said to herself over and over again. "I…I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!" Mai screamed up at Maleficent. Ventus flinched from her sudden outburst, but pulled her into him by instinct and wrapped his arms around her small frame.

"I didn't do it…I didn't do it…" Mai chanted in a whisper, her eyes wide with trauma as the smell of Ven's blood flooded her nose and his warm liquid dripped onto her clothes and exposed skin. The blonde began to slowly rock her back and forth in order to sooth her shivering body. "I wasn't you…I know it wasn't you." He whispered back with soft eyes as he looked down at the head of brown hair that shook back and forth. He reached up and placed his hand on the back of her head to keep Mai from shaking it and nuzzled his head down passed her hair and kissed her nose. "It wasn't you." He whispered.

Maleficent scowled at the scene of affection. "Your desire to that girl is far too much of a burden." She hissed, slightly upset that Ventus was so forgiving to Mai, she wanted to see him in rage, or Mai flipping out, not a mooshy-mooshy scene. "Are you as forgiving to you friend, Terra?" Maleficent asked, and she couldn't help but smirk when Ventus glared up at her, making it clear that she'd struck a nerve of some sort.

Ventus growled. "I know you placed a spell on Mai, and if you could do that to her then it only makes it clearer that you did the exact same thing to Terra!" He yelled, his eye starting to twitch from stress. "I know that neither of them would hurt anybody on purpose!" He defended, tightening his hold on the brunette.

Maleficent raised a brow. "You don't believe me?" She questioned. "That's unfortunate, for they both agreed so easily." The old witch added, smirking down at the brunette. Ventus could feel Mai beginning to shake more violently in his grasp. "**YOU'RE LYING!**" She screamed into Ven's shirt at the top of her lungs, feeling her throat rub painfully. She ignored her now aching throat and pushed herself out of Ven's hold, she unsteadily stood to her feet before she leaned down and picked up her still blood stained sword.

Ventus jumped to his feet immediately and gripped the brunette's shoulder, stopping her from doing something she might regret. Mai looked over her shoulder and looked at him with a blank expression. "Ven, Mai! Don't be fooled!" A familiar voice echoed through the hall, causing both teens' hearts to jump with glee. Footsteps could be heard by the doorway and Mai caught sight of a familiar friend running towards them.

Ventus gasped. "Aqua!" He exclaimed with a grin, the stinging in his arm lessening the less he thought about it. Mai's body relaxed at the sight of her friend, and the bluenette seemed to bring with her the memories of their home…along with all of them being together; her, Ventus, Terra, and Aqua.

Aqua stopped right in front of them. "Terra would never do anything like that. You know that all well as I do." She said, her voice soft and reassuring. Her eyes then traced down to the blood dripping from Ven's arm and gasped. "Ventus, what happened?" She asked in alarm. Ventus stared wide eyed at Aqua with a look that told her she shouldn't have said anything before he looked at the back of Mai's head. Aqua followed his gaze and stared at the expressionless brunette as she stared at the ground before her sky-blue eyes dropped to her blood stained sword. Aqua's face fell.

"It wasn't M-" Ventus was cut off when Mai roughly shrugged his hand off her shoulder and ran for the entrance Aqua had come through. As much as Mai despised making a scene, she just knew that she had to be alone for a while, she needed to get away from everything…desperately. "Mai!" Ventus called after her, but the brunette just ignored him and kept running, through the dark corridor and into the dark courtyard. She scanned the area briefly as her eyes began to glaze over with tears, making it harder for her to see, but Mai blinked away the water in her eyes and caught sight of the grand gate and made a mad dash for the exit. She stumbled over her feet a few times as she ran down narrow road until she reached the Forbidden Woods.

A short while later she came across the lake that she saw in Aurora's memory, her legs were aching from the sprint and her breath was hitched in her throat. Mai slowed down to a slow walk as she started for the lake, but she collapsed before she could reach the water and only then did Mai realise that she'd dropped her sword sometime when she was running. She didn't care none, after all; why the hell would she want to be walking around with a sword that was stained in Ven's blood?

Mai felt the tears that had built up in her eyes fall down her cheeks. There was an unbearable pain in her chest that felt like she was just hollow; no heart to prove that she was somebody...But, if she was hollow then why was she feeling so much pain in her heart. Mai pushed herself up into a sitting position and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs and hung her head low, only one name escaping her lips. "Kura…" She pleaded silently, her head in her knees.

The moment the name passed her lips, Mai heard footsteps not too far away from her, making her heart leap with excitement and joy as she hoped and wished that it was the boy she had supposedly said goodbye to. Maybe he wasn't really saying goodbye, maybe it was just a test or something to see how well Mai could get along without him, and seeing that she couldn't deal with it he had come back.

The footsteps only grew louder and louder until they stopped right in front of Mai, and she could've sworn that her heart was about to leap right out of her chest. "You dropped this." Ventus exclaimed from above her. Mai looked up at the sound of his voice, and strangely enough her heart didn't drop when she saw the familiar blonde, instead it just continued to jump with glee and excitement.

Mai then noticed that Ventus was holding her sword out for her, the blade in his hand with the hilt towards her. Mai felt her lips quiver and leaped at Ventus, knocking him onto his back and made the sword fall from his grasp. "Ventus…I'm so sorry." She whimpered into his chest as her tears stained his shirt.

Ven couldn't help but laugh heartily and wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to cry into him as she apologising over and over again. After a few minutes; all was silent, the only evidence that Mai was still crying being that Ventus could feel her chest heaving against him. The blonde then pushed himself up into a sitting position, taking Mai up with him. The brunette sat back on her knees with her arms around his neck as she looked up at Ventus; his legs were on either side of her and he was leaning back on his hands.

Ventus looked long and hard at Mai's face, seeing her eyes bright red and puffy. He smiled and reached with his uninjured hand and placed it on Mai's cheek, he wiped away at her tears with his thumb without a word. Ventus' mind was blank, he couldn't think of anything to say at that moment as he looked at Mai; her skin looked so fair in the sunlight, apart from the area around her eyes; which was red a puffy from her tears, her eyes were glistening from the watery layer, and they showed nothing but sadness, her hair had grown quite a bit since they left Land of Departure, her bangs did frame around her bright, emerald eyes, but her hair covered the top of her lids, hiding her orbs in the shadows when she was at a certain angle, but she was looking at Ventus at an angle were her eyes were fully visible. Ven noticed his eyes trailing down until his gaze met her lips-

Ventus quickly closed his eyes in order to stop looking at the innocent face in front of him, he heard Mai sob. Ven shot his eyes open, only to notice that a small smile could be seen in her eyes, causing him to smile. The brunette dropped her hands from his neck and trailed her fingers down his arms. He smiled at her until her fingers made contact with the wound on his arm, causing him to scrunch his face up in pain and pulled his arm away naturally, but the action caused Mai to look down at his arm. She felt her heart beginning to wrench.

Did she really do that to him?

Mai could remember from when Maleficent had a spell crushing her being until she woke up on the ground with her head throbbing painfully was darkness, so maybe, Maleficent made her do something…took control over her body and mind and ordered her to attack Ventus.

If that was the case, then she was glad that she followed that light when she was in the darkness, alone, scared and calling for her friends – wait, a light? Now that Mai thought about it, she could faintly remember seeing something glowing in the distance and decided to follow it.

Mai stood up from where she was and walked around Ventus and opened his backpack. "What're you doing?" Ventus asked as he tried to push away the pain, but once he'd started thinking about it, it was hard to stop.

Mai pulled out the first aid kit from Ven's back pack and shook it, hearing the utensils jiggling around inside the small plastic container. The blonde looked over his shoulder to see what she was holding and smiled. "You're really gonna bandage me up?" He asked, doubting Mai's ability to do so in a playful manner. The brunette nodded with a small smile and sat back down in front of him. Although her chest was still aching, Mai just pushed the feeling away.

She opened up the plastic container and looked at the medical utensils. "I would use heal, but every time I do I feel really noxious, and I don't think I could deal with causing you anymore harm." She explained bluntly and pulled out a cotton ball and a small bottle of alcohol. She carefully brought Ven's injured arm toward her and lightly dabbed at the cut, hearing a small hiss of pain from the blonde above her. "Sorry." She stopped and looked up at him worriedly.

Ventus sighed. "Stop worrying about hurting me, Mai. I can take it." He exclaimed with a smug grin, and Mai couldn't help but smile back at him. She noticed that whenever he smiled like that it would always make her feel nervous all of a sudden - she had no idea why - in fact, she would always feel a little strange if he ever smiled directly at her. Mai had to admit; she adored his smiles. Always have, and always will.

The brunette reluctantly nodded and went back to dabbing Ven's arm with alcohol, apologising every time he winced in pain, to which he would told her to stop apologising, but that only made her apologise for apologising.

When the wound was finally clean Mai reached into the first aid kit and pulled out a bandage, she carefully began to wrap it around his arm, being sure to use thick layers so that the blood wouldn't seep through too easy and Mai wouldn't have to change it every five minutes. "Ven," Mai started, keeping her eyes on the aforementioned boy's arm. He looked up at her a hummed, signalling to her that he was listening and to continue.

Ven could see Mai's body stiffen a little as she wrapped his arm. "What…What exactly happened?" Mai brought herself to ask, looking up at him. She could see Ven's face drop from her question, almost as though he didn't want to answer. When he stayed silent Mai sighed and dropped her arms. "Ven." She exclaimed firmly and looked long and hard at him.

Ventus felt a lump form in his throat and pursed his lips, whenever Mai would use that tone with him it would always scare him a little, he knew she would only ever use it when she wanted something, something that she believed was important, he'd seen her use it on Terra and Aqua a few times, and even as he was sitting on the sidelines her voice would intimidate him, so when she would use it on Ven, he would panic.

"I…" His voice was caught in his throat, he managed to calm himself down, though, by taking a deep breath and swallowed the lump in his throat before he attempted to speak again. "Some things are better left unsaid." He mumbled. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Mai, he felt like she needed to know what happened when Maleficent cursed her, but at that moment he believed that it'd be best if she didn't know yet. Mai had acting a little strange lately, and Ventus couldn't understand why, she was acting kinda depressed and quiet, despite how much she tried to hide it Ven knew that something was bugging her; and apparently it had been bugging her for a while.

Mai stared at him for a while, taking in every inch of his face as his words sunk in. '_Some things are better left unsaid._' She finally sighed. _Maybe he's right._ She thought to herself before she continued to bandage up Ven's arm. The blonde didn't question the way Mai accepted his word, instead sat there silently as Mai mended his injured arm. He could see the deep and thoughtful look on her face and couldn't help but let his mind wander,

_What would it feel like…To kiss her atleast once?_

* * *

><p><strong>Heyy guys! So that is the seventh chapter finished and up! Omigod, I didn't really think I'd get this far, to be honest; I just thought that nobody would read it and so I'd just quit. But you guys <em>are<em> reading it and it really makes me happy that people like it. And what do you guys think is running through Ven's head?**

**Ventus: I-I...You're the one that's writinf this thing *looks down embarrassed* I don't...I don't want to kiss her.**

**Mai: *jumps out of nowhere* Hi Ven ^-^**

**Ventus: O.O...*nosebleed***

**...Anyway! So, as I read through all of my stories I can't help but notice that they all look a little rushed, no matter how much time I take with them it always feels like it's all moving too fast, can anybody help me and give me a few pointers on how I can make this story better? I've heard of a beta reader but I don't really have anybody that I personally know on fanfiction so I'd obviously feel really awkward asking somebody I don't even know to go through it for me.**

**So, yeah, does anybody know how I can make it better? I'd love to hear your suggestions in the reviews, and, of course, what you think about this chapter ^-^ I've already got the rest of this story thought out, it's just writing it all out and each chapter that takes time, where as if everybody could just read my thoughts than it'd be done by know, hehe. I hope the wait wasn't too long for this chapter – and here's another thing; I really wanted the goodbye between Mai and Kura to be quite emotional, and if you guys were just reading it and thinking; aw, she's saying goodbye, if only the author could've written it out better…then PLEASE TELL ME! I need to know what I have to work on and if there are things that I re-he-he-he-_heally_ need to work on.**

**Mai: Thank you guys for reading this far!**

**Heh, I guess Mai's calmed down a little bit.**

**Mai: Yeah, Kura just gave me a cup of coffee a few minutes ago ^-^**

**Everybody (Apart from Ven - who is suffering from a nosebleed. And Kura - who is laughing his ass off): O.O…shit.**


	8. Chapter 8: The masked boy

Chapter 8: The masked boy

Mai clung to Ven's armour, her arms wrapped tightly around his torso and her head buried into his back as they flew though the Lanes Between. Neither of them had spoken a word since they left the previous world; instead continued on their way to find Terra.

Mai silently sighed into the blonde's back, absentmindedly tightening her grip around him. Ventus felt the new amount of pressure on his body and reached up to place his hands over Mai's, feeling her fingers grow stiff under his touch.

Ven couldn't help but smile softly to himself; ever since the thought about kissing his best friend crossed his mind he just couldn't seem to forget about it. But the thing that confused him was that he couldn't tell whether the thought bothered him, or if he didn't mind it…

"Hm?" Ven heard a small groan from Mai and felt her lift her head off his back, causing him to look over his shoulder to see what she was doing, only to see that she was looking behind her. The blonde looked up before a blur of black and red flew passed him, causing him to glance forward. His eyes widened.

"Him again?" He exclaimed with a hint of anger in his voice as he stared at the somewhat familiar male figure within the ominous glow as he continued on his way forward.

"Who is it?" Mai asked while trying to look over his shoulder to see the figure, she even extended to the point of going onto her tiptoe, but as she did her foot slipped from the glider, causing her to place all her dead weight on Ventus and knocked him off balance. However, the brunette quickly managed to regain her footing and squeezed his torso. "Sorry." She mumbled.

Ventus sighed. "It's okay." He said quickly before he hit the accelerator, chasing after the masculine figure that was almost completely out of his sight. Ventus was struggling to keep up with him, but he was far too focused on chasing the figure to even realise where he was heading. Mai tried as hard as she could to look over the blonde's shoulder without falling off, but never before had she really took note of how tall Ventus actually was; when he first arrived at Land of Departure a few years ago Mai a little taller than him…but that felt like forever ago, and Ventus had grown up a lot since then; physically _and_ mentally.

Mai's thoughts were suddenly cut short, though, when she felt a sudden dark aura poking at her chest, almost to the point were it felt like it was pulling her. Mai curiously followed the pull inside her chest, causing her to absentmindedly press her chest into Ven's back. But as soon as she realised what she was doing; Mai quickly pulled herself away from the blonde, feeling her face heat up terribly from her careless action.

Ventus gave Mai's hands a tight squeeze; he took the added pressure on his back as nothing more than an attempt for some sort of comfort, and the last thing he wanted to do at that moment was scare Mai whilst she was still in such a vulnerable state; it was hard for her to get over what had happened in the previous world.

The blonde followed the faint blur of darkness until he came across a new world; all that could be seen was rotting wasteland, no sign of life anywhere. If it was just another world they were passing Ventus wouldn't even glance twice, let alone check out the wasteland, but he wasn't about to loose sight of the ominous figure; and seeing as he was going to that world Ventus was going to follow him.

Once through the atmosphere, the sudden rise in temperature and the surroundings reminded Ven of the Dwarf Woodlands, the only real difference being that there was no forest in sight. As he flew down towards the ground, Mai could feel the pull inside her chest growing stronger; she couldn't tell if it was telling her to follow it…or to turn away.

When Ven was close enough to the ground Mai – without warning – jumped from the Glider, her armour disappearing within light as she did so, and landed perfectly on her feet, bending her legs at the knees to take off some of the pressure. Ventus was alarmed by her sudden action, but followed in pursuit; landing next to Mai in his usual attire.

The blonde's cerulean eyes scanned the area ahead. "Where's he hiding?" He growled under his breath, but Mai roughly heard his words. Feeling a dark aura coming from behind them, Mai looked over her shoulder and gasped; only a few yards away from them stood a boy, he had a black glassed mask that ran all the way to the back of his head and he wore a tight, black organic suit – red lining the muscles on his torso and fading in from his hands. He also had a ragged half skirt held around his waist by a red belt, the material being black and lined with red.

Ventus heard Mai's sudden gasp and turned to her, only to see that she was looking behind them. Ven turned on his heel, a line of dust erupting around his foot, and glared at the masked boy. "You! What did you mean about Terra being a different person?" He demanded to know, pointing accusingly at the masked male.

The boy started towards them, and with each step he took Mai could feel the dark aura growing stronger - it was then that she realised that the pull in her chest was starting to pull her towards him, but Mai managed to keep her feet planted to the ground. "Exactly what I said, idiot." The boy seethed, but his voice somehow managed to bring comfort to Mai, relaxing her; he sounded a little bit like Kura some how, only his voice lower and filled with anguish and spite. "The friends you know will be gone forever." The boy said, stopping in his footsteps.

Ven's glare intensified. "That's pathetic! Terra'll never leave us. Atleast, not for good." He yelled, but his voice began to weaken towards the end.

Mai stood behind Ventus, not wanting to get in between the two; she had never encountered this boy, and she wasn't all too fussed on getting on his bad side. For all they knew he wasn't a bad guy, maybe he was just like an owl – there to help you out when you need it, but the 'idiot' kinda gave the impression that he wasn't exactly the nicest guy around.

Mai glanced up at the boy and could feel his eyes on her from behind the black glass. "And you can't forget; your little Lulu there is changing the most." He said, a wide smirk in his words, causing Mai to gasp.

She switched her emerald eyes onto the blonde in front of her, only to notice that he was still glaring at the boy. "Ventus, what is he going on about?" Mai questioned.

Ven sighed through his nose and tilted his head to see the brunette. "Terra…wasn't the only one he warned me about…" He mumbled, causing Mai to frown in mild confusion at him. Ventus felt a cold chill run down his spine, but he ignored it. "He told me that you were going to change the most…and in the end you would turn to the darkness." He said lowly.

Mai took great offence in his words and turned to the masked boy, she could feel him smirking at her, but she ignored it and walked around Ventus, standing in front of him, and glared at the boy. "What the hell gives you the right to say something as stupid as that?" She yelled.

"Is it stupid, or true?" He questioned, causing Mai to growl.

"You don't know any of us, especially not me! You have no idea who I am, and yet you think you know what my destiny is? That's complete bullshit if you ask me!" Mai fumed, smoke practically coming from her ears whilst her face grew red from the shouting.

The masked boy scoffed and held out his right arm. "I know more than you think." He said loud enough for the pair to catch it before a light erupted around his hand, and – to the teens' surprise – a KeyBlade appeared in his hand. The hilt was black and red with a blue cat eye at the joint of the hilt and the blade, where a chain wrapped around it all the way to the teeth, another cat eye inside the red spider web shaped teeth.

"A KeyBlade?" Ventus questioned in utter shock before he regained himself with a glare. He pulled Mai behind him and summoned his Wayward Wind before he sunk down into his fighting stance, in response the masked boy held his KeyBlade above his head in his own stance.

"Good," the boy mused. "Let's see what you're made of." He said with a taunt in his tone. Ven wasted no time and charged at the boy and swung for him. But before the hit could land the male jumped out of the way with a skilful back flip, taking him a few yards back.

"You're gonna kill yourself if you attack so recklessly, Kiddo." Mai exclaimed as she came to stand beside Ven, both her sword and dagger in each hand and stood firm with her sword by her side and her dagger just a little in front of her. She was still pissed at the masked guy, that much could be heard in her voice, but she couldn't let that affect her fighting; she actually quoted to Ven what Kura had told her about her reckless attacks, the only difference being that he never called her 'kiddo'.

Ven sent her a quick glance and nodded before he turned his attention back onto the stranger, only to see that he was nowhere in sight. "Where-"

"Ven!" Mai quickly pushed him out of the way, taking him down with her to the ground as the boy's electric attack barely missed them. Mai quickly rolled away from Ventus and jumped to her feet, regaining her stance. "Get up, Ven." She ordered, but not in too much of a bossy way; in a way that Ven would understand she was only doing it for his own good.

Ven didn't bother responding, instead he jumped to his feet and turned to the masked boy, seeing that he was landing from his attack and swung his KeyBlade at him, landing a few hits before the masked boy countered his attack and swung for him, landing two critical hits. But Ven quickly hit the rebound and continued to strike, only missing one or two hits from each combo pattern; Ventus always found it easier to use combo patterns, that way he his last attack would cause more damage and he could take a second to regain himself while his enemy was still recovering. Mai had to admit it was always very affective.

The stranger countered Ven's attack again, but didn't strike at him, instead froze in his movement, giving Ventus a clear opening. But when Ven thought he landed the hit, his KeyBlade only went straight through the frozen male. "Wha-" He was cut off when he felt a sudden weight on his back.

"Never waste your time asking questions, kiddo. Stay on the ball." Mai said from behind him, holding up both her weapons in a cross over to block the masked boy's attack from behind. Their weapons didn't make contact for too long since the boy quickly jumped away with a back flip almost as soon as his attack was blocked.

"Got it." Ven nodded and turned on his heel, regaining his positioning.

"Work on your offence, kiddo. If he goes in for a surprise attack I'll back you up." She side whispered to the blonde beside her. Ventus gave a small nod and charged for the masked boy again, this time landing a hit before he could jump out of the way.

It was turning into a cycle, Ventus would attack, get countered a few times, and then Mai would have to jump in to black an attack she could see that Ven couldn't. It repeated itself a few times before the masked boy threw in a new attack; as Ventus was about to attack the masked boy he jumped out of the way, landing further away than his previous jumps and held his KeyBlade in front of him before a ball of fire came shooting from the tip of his blade - flying towards Ventus.

"Watch out!" Mai warned as the ball of fire quickly grew closer to the blonde, but he dodge rolled out of the way with ease. Ven jumped to his feet and smiled smugly over his shoulder at Mai. The brunette simply rolled her eyes before her face dropped. "Ventus!" She screamed. The ball of fire might've passed by Ven, but it broke off into three parts and changed its course like missiles and sped toward Ven at an alarming speed.

The ocean eyed boy didn't have time to evade the attack before all three orbs of fire landed a critical hit on him, sending him flying back with a flip, he landed harshly on his stomach and scraped across the rough ground.

Mai gasped, seeing Ventus struggle to get to his feet and groaned in pain from the ground. The brunette switched her emerald gaze onto the masked boy with a fierce glare, she readied her weapons and charged at the boy. Mai swung her sword at him with as much power as she could muster, taking a quite note how the boy didn't jump away – or even attempt to - like how he did with Ven. No, instead he just blocked her attack.

Mai growled. "What, not gonna hit a girl 'cause you don't think I can take it?" She questioned with venom dripping from her words and raised her dagger, slicing horizontally at him. But the masked male stealthy rolled out of the way, disarming his KeyBlade and jumped to his feet behind her, he grabbed the wrist holding her sword before he bent it behind her back, pulling it up as much as he could whilst keeping a firm grip on Mai's other shoulder.

From the sudden pain that shot down her arm that was behind her back Mai's grip on her sword naturally loosened, allowing the weapon to land at her feet behind her, but her dagger was still held tightly in her hand. The masked boy leaned towards her ear. "I know you can take it." He said in a low voice as his grip on Mai's shoulder loosened and his hand began to slip down her arm.

Mai took his loose grip as an opening and spun out of his grasp, twisting to the right so she could untangle her arm, and swung at him with her dagger. The masked boy quickly summoned his KeyBlade and blocked the attack before he jumped back.

Mai took her chance and reached down to pick up her sword before she stood up straight, her weapons ready. She could see the masked boy walking towards Ventus. "As far as I'm concerned, your job here is done." He said before he raised his KeyBlade above his head, holding the hilt with both hands as a bright light began to grow from the tip of his KeyBlade.

Mai's eyes widened. "**NO!**" She screamed...and at that moment she could've sworn time had slowed down…

She started for the masked boy, but before she could reach him he pointed his KeyBlade at Ventus, sending the bright ball of light towards him at an alarming speed. Mai felt a scream emit from her throat, but she couldn't hear it; all she could hear was her heartbeat pounding violently in her ears.

She didn't get to him in time…and nothing but blue flames stood where Ventus was previously laying.

The clock had returned to its normal speed as Mai stared at the fire with bulging eyes, her orbs beginning to glaze over with tears before she turned her attention to the masked boy, only to see that he was walking away. "You sick-!" Mai charged after him and swung her sword at him, but the boy turned on his heel to block her attack just in time. Mai pulled her sword back and swung her dagger, but he blocked her attack again…and then her sword, and then her dagger; over and over again.

Mai continued to slash at him in a blind rage, but with her brain still faintly in check she took notice that the masked boy didn't try to counter any of her attacks, yet alone even attempt to hit her. Mai shook the thoughts away and continued to attack him, every now and then swinging at a different angle to throw him off a little, but her plan back fired when the boy locked Mai's sword within his KeyBlade and threw it out of her hand before he reached forward and grabbed the wrist of the hand that held her dagger tightly and pulled her into him.

Mai glared up to the mask that was inches away from her face, only now realising that tears were running down her cheeks. "You bastard." She spat. At that the boy's grip on her wrist tightened enough to leave a painful bruise later. Mai gasped in pain and reached up with her right hand and dug her nails deep into the male's hand, but the masked boy seemed completely unaffected and flung her away from him with as much force as he could muster.

Mai slammed against a rock harder than she could've imagined, erupting a loud crack from her spine and her body went rigid as she slid down the boulder, landing in a heap on the ground, barely conscious.

"Tell me where you got that!" A high pitched – yet masculine – voice shouted out. Mai struggled to lift her head and looked up at the figure, but all she could see was a small blur of black, and something long and blue in the figure's hand. "KeyBlades are not something you use just to bully somebody around. Here, I'll show ya!" It said.

Mai fought against the fog that began to glaze over her eyes, but it was no use. Her lids felt heavy like lead and she could feel herself slipping into slumber, despite how much she fought against it.

* * *

><p><em><span>45 minutes later…<span>_

"Thanks a lot. I really owe ya."

Mai could hear voices somewhere in the back of her head, but all she could see was darkness. She considered shaking away the voice before she recognised it to be Ventus'.

_V-Ven!_

Mai was aware that she was awake, but she still couldn't open her eyes, her muscles felt numb, and some parts of her body ached terribly. She tried to gain control of her limbs, but then she felt something warm wrap around her body and lifted her upper half off the ground. "I hope she's okay…" Ventus spoke again, worry evident in his voice.

"Oh, I'm sure she's just sleeping." The masculine – yet high pitched – voice exclaimed. "I don't think she was hurt too badly." He said.

Mai took a deep breath in and groaned from the ache it brought to the back of her chest as she painfully willed her eyes to open, but they only half obeyed her actions. Mai could see two blur above her, one black – and the other yellow.

After a while her vision cleared up, and Mai stared at what was once the yellow blur with wide eyes. "V-Ventus, you're alive!" She exclaimed and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, causing the blonde to chuckle from her sudden act of affection.

"Well, yeah. It's not like I'm going out _that_ easy." He said smugly as he cradled the brunette in his arms.

Mai sighed deeply into his shoulder. "…I thought you were gone." She mumbled, closing her eyes for a brief moment before Ventus pulled her away from him and looked long and hard at her face.

"Well, I would've been toast if it wasn't for him." He said, looking to the side. Mai raised a confused chocolate brow at him but followed his gaze none the less, standing there was none other than an over grown mouse; he was clad in baggy grey trousers, big grey shoes and a grey shirt with a grey jacket.

Mai stared at the mouse for a moment in pure disbelief before her eyes dropped to the blue KeyBlade in his hand, she recognised it from one of her books about KeyBlades; it was Starseeker – one of the most powerful KeyBlades.

"Y-You have the Starseeker?" She asked in pure astonishment, causing the mouse to chuckle.

"Sure do. I've been trainin' under the great Yen Sid." He said with a warm smile, but when he saw that Mai was only concentrating on his KeyBlade he grinned. "Would you like to see it?" He asked, holding the weapon out for her.

Mai glanced up at the mouse's face with wide eyes. "A-Are you sure?" She asked. The mouse nodded, and the brunette slowly reached out and held the hilt of the all powerful Starseeker in her palm. "Woah…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes travelled up and down the blade.

"Oh, so you have the power to wield the KeyBlade, too?" The mouse asked, snapping Mai's attention back to him. She blinked. "What's the name of yours?" He wondered.

Mai's face flushed in embarrassed as she held the KeyBlade out for its rightful owner. "Oh, I don't have one." She answered sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her neck.

The mouse raised a brow at her in mild confusion before he shook it off, taking his KeyBlade and disarmed it. "I see. Oh well, then, my name's Mickey." He said, smiling sweetly.

Ventus – who sat beside the pair as they exchanged the Starseeker – leaned forward. "The name's Ventus." He said, grinning widely before he looked over at Mai, waiting for her to introduce herself.

The brunette timidly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm Mai-Lin, but just call me Mai." She said.

"Lin?" Mickey questioned, a sudden glazed look over his eyes. Mai raised a curious brow and nodded. The mouse noticed her expression and shook away his thoughts.

Ventus crossed his legs pretzel style and allowed Mai to lean against him. "So, what's your story, Mickey?" He asked curiously, leaning back on his palms.

The mouse chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, "well; Yen Sid found out the worlds are in trouble, an' I sorta took off without tellin' him." He answered sheepishly, causing the teens to exchange a quick glance.

Ven looked over at Mickey and smiled. "Well, that makes both of us. We ran off, too." He said, pointing between Mai and himself. Mickey reached behind him and pulled something out from behind his back, it was a glass shaped star, but one of the star points was missing, and in its place was the usual lightning symbol; a small yellow zig-zag.

"All I hafta do is think it, and the Star Shard will take me anywhere I wanna go." Mickey explained. "At least, I thought it would. I haven't quite got the fine points down, like…when, or where…It just kinda kicks in whenever it wants to." He said, looking down at the Star Shard in his hand with a small frown before he glanced up at the teens with a warm smile. "But I wouldn't have met you two if it hadn't brought me here." He said with a cheeky grin, causing Ventus to chuckle, holding a fist over his mouth to hide it.

"Ya know," Mickey started, a thoughtful expression now taking over his features, "it might not be an accident. Maybe it starts workin' 'cause it's reactin' to somethin'." He suggested, throwing his thoughts out into the open.

Mai shrugged in agreement before she looked down at the Star Shard, noticing a small light glowing in the centre of it. "Is it supposed to glow like that?" She questioned, pointing down at the small light. Both boys looked down at the Star Shard before a bright like erupted from it, blinding all three of them.

Mai clung to Ven's jacket, hiding her face in his shoulder to protect her eyes from the light – whilst Ventus wrapped one arm tightly around her and curled into a loose ball, using his free arm to shield his eyes.

* * *

><p>When the light died down from under Ven's lids, he could feel an extra weight on his body. He reluctantly opened his eyes and gasped; seeing that he was back in the Lanes Between, clad in his armour and standing on his Glider. Ventus looked down and sighed with relief, spotting Mai's familiar armour floating only a little away from him. "Mai!" He called out with a small chuckle as he started for her, he couldn't help but find it amusing how Mai floated around in space.<p>

At the sound of her name, Mai glanced up, seeing Ventus Gliding towards her she sighed and held her hand out for him. "Ven, what happened?" She asked as the blonde grabbed her hand and pulled her into his form. The clang of metal sounded when their bodies touched, but neither of them really took note of it as Ventus shrugged.

"No idea." He answered simply with a chuckle. Mai nodded in understanding, not really wanting to fully understand what had just happened and glanced at their surroundings. The brunette's emerald gaze landed on a world not too far away from them; there was great big castle atop it and the whole world was circled with beautiful fountains, she could also feel a strong light coming from it. "Wow…" Mai's voice trailed off as she stared at the beautiful new place. "Hey, kiddo, why don't we try there?" She questioned, pointing it out.

Ventus followed her finger, catching sight of the new world. He shrugged. "Alright, I guess it does look kinda promising." He said before he changed course and started for the world.

* * *

><p><strong>AHH! I'm so gutted that this chapter isn't very long, it's probably the shortest chapter in here so far. But don't worry, the only reason that this chapter is so short is because I prefer to do one chapter per world, so the rest of the chapters are gonna be like my usual; and that's normally, like <strong>_**15,000 **_**odd words. And the thing is that isn't even an over exaggeration! **

**So, yeah, I'm really sorry this chapter is so short, but I promise I'll make up for it in the next chapter ;P **

**Oh, and just in case you guys are wondering where everybody's gone; they've…actually I have no idea where they are. I think I remember Aqua telling me something about going to visit Master Eraqus for the weekend, but if that was true then they should be back by now, so I probably heard her wrong…**

**But I'll tell you all now, there's nothing nicer than sweet serenity –**

**Mai: *Slams open front door* I'M HOME!**

**-,- I had to open my big _F***ING_ mouth.**

**Ventus: *Walking in behind Mai* Wait, are you writing the next chapter without us?**

**Terra: I thought we agreed to do it together! TT^TT**

**Oh, shut up, Terra. It's practically you're fault that at the end of the story –**

**Everybody (except me): SPOILERS! STFU!**

**O.O Oh, right. Sorry X3**


	9. Chapter 9: Inner strength

Chapter 9: Inner strength

Author's note

**We're **_**back**_**~ and with a whole new chapter :P The guys have gone out right now so all I have here with me today is Ventus. The rest have gone out to get some 'groceries' *air quotes***

**Ven: What's that *Air quotes* all about?**

**O-Oh, nothing. Now, let's check out some of the new reviews from the last chapter, shall we?**

**Ven: Hm? Oh, yeah. Y'know, I do really like reading what people think about your story, I think it's really good.**

**Heh, yeah, I think it's safe to say that's the best part of being a writer; the reviews. Whether they're criticism or plain just full of love, I really enjoy reading them…okay, first up is…**jkls36**.**

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…**:D CAN I HUG YOU? I'm so glad that you like the story so much it makes me wanna hug you until ya face turns blue 8D!**

**Ventus: O.o She doesn't mean that...'til ya face turns blue' I mean; she can't even hurt a fly -,-**

**TT^TT Thank you so much. I'm sorry if the language is offensive, but I swear to God that is **_**all**_** Mai, she's got a really bad potty mouth. I try to stop her but once she starts she just can't sto – **

**Ven: Oh, please, you're way worse.**

**Mai: Fuck you, Ven. I **_**am**_** not!**

**Ven: -,-**

…**Oh. ANYWAY! Don't worry, I'll make sure I put my all into each chapter, I really want to get this story across and I'll make sure to do just that! I'll never give up on this story – sure I might be gone for a while, but when I get back you all can hit me with as many fly swatters as you want.**

**Ven:…Why a fly swatter?**

**Why not a fly swatter? Either way, **jkls36**, It's nice to meet you, too ^-^ I hope you enjoy your time here on fanfiction and have a warm welcome. If not, then here it is;**

**Me and Ventus: WELCOME TO FANFICTION, **jkls36**! XD**

**Spock: Live long and prosper.**

…**Dafuq? I don't even watch Star Trek! Well, that's a lie, I watched the most recent one in the cinema…It was really good ^-^**

**Ventus: Can we get on with the reviews, now?**

**Oh, yeah...let's see…**NightfallXIII**? Thank you TT^TT would you like a hug as well? Don't care, YOU'RE GETTING ONE! 8D**

**Ven: *reading review* Hey, Key, who's Vanitas?**

**Hm? O-oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about it ^-^ *Pats his head***

**Ven: heh, okay 0_~**

**Aw, he's so cute~ Bless. Anyway, I'm so glad I've got you feeling sorry for the poor boy…well, not in case it's a bad thing…but if it's a good 'sorry'…sigh, do you get what I mean?**

**Ven: Yes, I think she does.**

**Okay ^-^ Well, I hope you do **NightfallXIII**. And 'when's the next chapter coming?', here it is XD Y'see what I did there? ;P**

**Okay, well, thank you so much, you guys. The fact that you're staying by me and supporting me is so amazing, it really is the best part of being a writer.**

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**HOLY SHIT! I literally just took ten minutes away from my laptop to watch my mum and her BF jump in a pool in the back garden – bearing in mind right now in my country its freezing cold; grey sky and light rain and the water's freezing – and how do I know the water is freezing? 'Cause I just jumped in! And boy oh boy was it cold XD Don't believe me? My mum just took a pic of me **_**sitting**_** in the cold water! Dunno. how you'll see it though :/ I guess I could upload it to my DA but I doubt it's really DA worthy, just me in my fleece PJ's in a cold swimming pool :D**

**Ven: Wow, I wondered where you went…and your hair is wet.**

**Heh, why don't you go for a dip too, Ven? ;P**

**Ventus: O.o uh, n-no, I'm good. Didn't you try to get your dog in there?**

**Heh, yeah, put she wouldn't even stand in the garden, and we can't do it to Xion 'cause she's still a baby – oh, Xion is the name of our kitten. My mum said that I could name her after a KH character and they both have black hair and blue eyes – nothing fitted her better :D**

**Ugh, but I'll tell you now, it was strangely refreshing…besides the fact that I changed into my Mickey Mouse onzy in the shower straight after, but don't worry =D So, let's carry on with this story, shall we ;D**

**Ventus: *cuddling Xion* Aww she's so –**

**Xion: *scrams his face and runs away* Meow!**

**Ven: Ah, shi -!**

* * *

><p>Mai and Ventus glanced around their surroundings; the new world looked promising, that was for sure, and Mai only knew that because she realised as soon as they landed that she was in Radiant Garden, a world that she and Kura used to visit often; usually after exploring a new world and just relax with a few treats, and other times they would just go there to play around and cause mischief within the town.<p>

Mai smiled at the fond memories before she glanced over at Ventus, only to see that he was still looking around curiously. She couldn't help but smile at the look on his face, he was in pure wonderment; he would often use that face when he was surprised with breakfast in bed with pancakes and syrup, or other times it would be when he would be shown a new attack move and had finally mastered it. It was certainly a look Mai adored, she always liked how he would react the same way to certain things, it meant that she could read him like an open book much easier.

Mai tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and crossed her arms over her chest as she started towards the large metal gates on the far end of the Outer Gardens, she knew that the gate lead straight to the town square, all you had to do was go up a few stairs. Mai expected Ventus to follow behind her, but when she heard no footsteps she stopped and glanced over her shoulder, her arms still crossed. "You okay back there, kiddo?" She called over to him, seeing as he was quite far away.

At the sound of her voice Ventus snapped himself out of his thoughts with a shake of his head and glanced up at Mai curiously. "What?" He asked, not hearing what she'd asked him.

Mai rolled her eyes with a small laugh and turned back toward the gate. "C'mon, let's go find Terra!" She called as she walked over to the gate.

Ventus had finally realised just how far away she was and sighed through his nose. "Why does it feel like…I've been here before?" He asked himself, his head hung low in deep thought before he quickly shook away feeling and started after Mai as fast as he could.

Ven absentmindedly followed Mai up the stairs on the other side of the gate, she looked like she knew where she was going, but Ven didn't question it and instead followed her in silence. When they reached the top of the fairly tall staircase Ven looked around the town square, seeing a lower platform in the center with buildings surrounding the square, and on opposite them – at the other end of the square – was a gate that lead all the way up to a large castle. Ven's eyes fixated on the tall building; it's design was strange, it had cogs sticking out of the side, but they didn't move, and it had lots of completely different attachment building in strange directions, but the joints were so thin Ventus had to think long and hard as to how the extra rooms didn't fall or break away.

"Mickey?" Mai's voice rang through his ears, snapping him out of his deep thoughts. He switched his cerulean gaze to the brunette beside him and raised a brow at her, she was looking off in a completely different direction. Ven followed her gaze, only to see an empty street between two buildings.

Ven looked back at Mai with a confused expression crossing over his masculine features. "What?" He questioned, not understanding why Mai had said the mouse's name aloud.

Mai looked up at Ventus and pointed over at the empty street. "I just saw Mickey walk down there." She explained briefly. Ventus blinked at her before he looked back over at the street, the only thing he saw was a duck walking through the street and into the town square, he was dressed in a neat blue suit with a blue top hat, he also used a walking stick to keep him balanced.

Ven chuckled. "That's not Mickey." He laughed, only to receive a punch in the arm. "Ow, what was that for?" He asked with a pained expression on his face as he rubbed his now sore arm. For such a small girl Mai could really pack a punch.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Do you think we should catch up with 'im?" She asked, looking down the street again.

Ventus bit his tongue and shrugged before he reached out and grabbed Mai's hand. "Might as well try, it's not like we've got any other lead to Terra; so far we've just been running around hoping to see him." He answered and started off towards the street, dragging Mai behind him.

The brunette groaned as he dragged her across the square, catching sight of the duck in the corner of her eye she glanced over, catching the duck's gaze; he tipped his hat off to her. Mai smiled in response and gaze a small wave before she and Ventus walked down the street, she recognised the duck to be none other than Scrooge McDuck; a friendly old person who would always offer her free sea-salt ice cream bars whenever she passed by him, in order to show his gratitude from saving him from a nasty Unversed two or so years ago when she and Kura visited.

The pair walked through the street until they came to an entrance to one of the large gardens. They stood in front of it for a while, examining it carefully before Mai took a start for the entrance, but she was pulled back when Ventus planted his feet firmly in the ground, preventing her from moving him even an inch.

Mai turned her body to see him, only he was looking upwards, almost towards the sky. "Hey, you alright, kiddo? You're looking a little pale, there." She pointed out, stepping forward to see his face clearly. Mai curiously followed his gaze and caught sight of the castle, with a raised brow she looked back at the blonde. "Ven, what's up?" She asked, only to get no response.

A glazed look descended over his eyes, causing Mai to worry slightly. She sighed, but was taken aback when Ventus looked down at her, life in his eyes and no signs of clouds. "What?" He asked, wondering what had just happened.

Mai stared at him with a worried expression on her face. "Are you alright?" She asked.

Ventus stared at her for a moment before he chuckled. "Yeah, just fine. Why do you ask?" He questioned, glancing down at the brunette.

Mai bit her lip, suddenly feeling uneasy by Ven's strange actions. "Um…nothing. Let's just get on with this." She said, releasing Ventus' hand and started through the doorway and into the garden. She smiled to herself and took in the strong scent of flowers, the strength was almost overwhelming, but Mai didn't mind it at all; she usually thought that flowers didn't have much of a smell, but that was why she liked the large garden so much. There were so many flowers, it would take almost forever and a day just to count them all; also, on the far end of the garden was a set of stairs going to the right, where there was another floor of flowers, and then another staircase with a garden, and then another, but that one lead up to the great big castle of Radiant Garden.

Hearing dry footsteps, Mai glanced over her shoulder and smiled as Ventus walked through the entrance, his face when he saw the beautiful garden was almost unreal – he was in complete awe. "Woah…" Was all he could say, his cerulean eyes gazing over the different colours and ranges of the beautiful plants. "I guess this place really lives up to it's name, huh?" He questioned with a chuckle, but as soon as the words left his mouth his face dropped, along with Mai's.

The brunette frowned. "How…how do you know the name of this place, have you ever been here before?" She asked him with accidental firmness in her voice. When she caught onto her tone she bit down on her bottom lip and tucked a few strands of wavy brown hair behind her ear.

Ven didn't know what to say. Only one thing popped into his mind and he hung his head low. "I dunno…" He wasn't lying per say, he just didn't feel comfortable saying that the world felt familiar to him. Besides, the last thing Ventus wanted at that moment was for Mai to question him about things that he doesn't even know. Maybe he had come to Radiant Garden before, but it was before his amnesia…but with that being said Master Eraqus had told him that he'd grown up within Land of Departure, he'd apparently never been outside of the world, so how could he visit this world if he'd never left home?

Mai sighed through her nose, her frown deepening as Ven looked up at her, but something behind her caught his attention. Ven's face plastered with fear as he reached out to grab Mai. "Look ou-"

His voice was cut off when Mai spun on her heel, her sword sheathed, and slashed right through the Unversed that had come up behind her; luckily for Mai, though, it was only a Scrapper, one of the lesser Unversed. Ven came up beside Mai and summoned his KeyBlade. "You alright?" He asked, placing a hand on Mai's back.

The brunette glanced up at him and grinned. "'Course, why wouldn't I be?" She asked.

Ventus seemed taken aback by her sudden chirpiness, but smiled nonetheless. "I dunno, just thought you might be a little shocked, at least." He mumbled with a shrug, a little embarrassed that he was in more shocked than Mai, and he wasn't even the one being attacked by the monster.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Just remember what I told you when we were fighting that masked boy, kiddo." She said. "'Stay on the ball'." Mai repeated before she started down the garden only to find more Unversed. She sighed in annoyance. "Is it just me or are more of these things popping up with every world we come to?" Mai asked rhetorically as she stood firm with her blade.

Ventus rushed up beside her, taking out an Unversed as he did so with one hit, which he was fondly proud of. "I don't think whining about it's gonna help." He exclaimed with a teasing grin.

Mai glared playfully. "I wasn't – ugh, just forget it." She grumbled before she took out an Unversed, Ventus following her actions almost instantly.

* * *

><p><em><span>45 minutes later…<span>_

The pair panted heavily as they reached the open gates that lead upward to the great castle, there were way more Unversed than expected, and with everyone they killed two more would just show up! The damned monsters even managed to get a few decent wounds on the teens, but it wasn't something a potion couldn't fix.

"That…was hard." Mai panted as she leaned against the gate for support before Ventus tossed a potion to her, which she caught with ease.

The blonde scoffed. "You wanna complain? Nearly all of them…were coming after me!" He exclaimed, clearly miffed at the situation.

Mai simply rolled her eyes at him before she chugged down the bottle's contents. When she finished she sighed in relief. "That's refreshing." She mused, looking down at the empty glass bottle before she switched her emerald gaze to the blonde in front of her. "And yeah, I do wanna complain. Even if most of them were coming after you I was the one to get them off your back!" She pointed out. "Your only strategy back there was _running_." Mai laughed.

Ventus scoffed. "Whatever, just because I didn't wanna die today." He said as he walked passed Mai and through the gate.

Mai watched his retreating form before she looked down that the bottle in her hand and smiled. "Yeah, I wouldn't want you to die either..._especially _not today." She mumbled quietly to herself before she tossed the bottle aside and ran to catch up with the blonde.

Mai found the blonde standing at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the castle gates, he was watching Mai as she approached. "What was the hold up all about?" He asked as he and Mai started up the stairs.

Mai shook her head. "Nothing, I just needed more time to catch my breath, is all." She said with a bright grin that unconsciously warmed Ven's heart. He smiled back at her with a chuckle before the pair continued up the stairs, keeping their eyes forward.

When they reached the top of the stairs Mai saw two guards at the door of the castle, she recognised them as Dilan and Aeleus; she and Kura had gotten into plenty of trouble with those two in the past – trying to sneak into the castle. Mai stopped in her tracks, causing Ventus to look at her strangely. "You coming or what?" He questioned.

Mai glanced up at him and bit her lip. "Actually, I think we'll cover more ground if we split up." She suggested and turned on her heel before she started down the stairs, but Ventus gripped her forearm before she could get away and began to drag her towards the castle gates.

"C'mon, we'll get in easy. I know how to smooth talk." He said, but Mai continued to flail in his arms.

"Ven, I really think we'll cover-" Mai was cut off when Ventus reached over and pulled her over his shoulder, being sure to keep a firm grip on her legs and waist so she couldn't kick him or squirm out of his grasp. Looking ever so sure of himself Venus continued towards the door, but he was stopped in his tracks when two weapons crossed over in front of him.

Ventus jumped back in shock, almost losing his grip on Mai, but he quickly managed to keep her still. "Hold on," Dilan started, his black hair tied back as usual and his deep purple eyes burnt holes into Ven's skull.

Aeleus' deep blue gaze was just as bad, his orange hair curly as always. "The castle is presently closed." He said with a strong voice, one that made Ventus gulp in mild fear. Up against the guards he felt like some pathetic little woodland creature…with a squirrel over his shoulder.

"B-But…But…" His voice was caught in his throat, he couldn't find the strength to speak under the guards' stares. Mai sighed before she raised her fist and punched Ven in the back as hard as she could, which was hard enough to knock him forward and trip over his feet. Mai gasped as Ventus fell forward and landed clean on her backside, she reluctantly glanced up at the guards – who glared down at her in recognition – she gave a sheepish smile.

A small groan caused Mai to glance down before her face twisted with terror with a harsh gasp. Ventus groaned as he pushed himself up onto his elbows, glancing down at what broke his face from the fall, the sight caused a small stream of blood to fall from his nostril. Ventus' cerulean eyes were fixed on Mai's clothed nether regions, having never been that close to it before, before the brunette pulled herself away from him and tucked her knees up to her chest, a deep, feverish blush over her cheeks as she glared down at him.

The blonde looked up at her face and smiled sheepishly before he heard a small drip coming from below him; glancing down he saw a small circle of blood on the floor, before another fell. Ven cautiously brought his finger to touch his upper lip, seeing blood he quickly sat up and rubbed furiously at his lip with his arm. His face felt hot, and he knew he was blushing. Terribly.

Mai continued to glare at Ven before she heard a vague cough coming from above her, seeing Dilan and Aeleus glaring down at her she chuckled nervously. "Uh…w-we were just-"

"A friend of ours came this way, we just wanna catch up with him, is all." Ventus cut in, but the minute the guards' gaze landed on him he shrank back where he sat and kept his gaze on the floor.

The older men exchanged a quick glance before they looked back down at the teens. "We aren't aware of any visitors." Dilan exclaimed bluntly with an impatient tone as he stared Mai down. The brunette kept her gaze on the ground.

"Run along home, both of you. Before the monsters get you." Aeleus threatened in a low tone in order to intimidate the teens. It worked like a charm.

Ventus sighed and stood to his feet before he held a hand out for Mai, although he could feel the guards' eyes burning holes into his skull; he stayed sure to avoid eye contact. "I guess it wasn't Mickey you saw." He said with a small look of disappointment.

Mai sighed through her nose, staring down at her feet before she looked up at Ventus. She was about to reach up and grab his hand before she felt one of the guards roughly pull her to her feet by the back of her kimono. "Hey, back off!" Mai yelled as she flung herself in every direction, trying to escape the guard's grasp.

Aeleus lifted Mai higher until her feet came off the ground. "Not so fast, you. You've caused enough trouble in this town, and I'm sure Even would love to know where you've been hiding." He said with a fierce glare. Mai gulped.

Ventus reached forward. "Let 'er go!" He demanded as he grabbed Mai's hand, trying to pull her away.

Mai sighed. "Don't worry about me, kiddo. You just look around and see if Terra's around…I'll catch up." She said with a smile, seeing the unsure look on the blonde's face.

Ventus stared at her for a moment, he could see by her eyes that she was asking him to walk away. He finally sighed and gave Mai's hand a firm squeeze before he released it. Aeleus turned on his heel and started for the front door. Mai kept her gaze on Ventus as he turned and began to walk away – but something on the stairs caused them to gasp.

A giant bee-like Unversed with a large blue chest guard flew up from behind the stairs and turned to them. Dilan stepped forward. "They're here." He said before he started for the monster. "Radiant Garden shall not fall under the likes of you." He spat.

Ventus frowned before he ran ahead. "Leave this to me." He told Dilan as he ran past him.

Mai gasped, watching Ventus run off after the Unversed caused her to panic; she knew Ventus had no chance of taking on something that size on his own. A frown tugged at her brows before she reached up and grabbed Aeleus' wrist. "Hey, kiddo, wait up!" She called after Ventus.

At the sound of Mai's voice Ven dug his heels into the ground and looked over his shoulder. Mai used Aeleus' leg to push herself up, she flipped over his head – being sure to keep a firm hold on his wrist with both hands – and dragged the giant to the ground, landing hard on his back.

Dilan quickly looked over his shoulder at the loud crash, but was quickly met with a boot in the jaw, knocking him off balance before Mai swung her foot at the back of his knees and sent him crashing to the floor.

The brunette sprinted away from them before either of the guards had a chance to stand up and grab her.

Ventus stood there. Dumfounded. "What the hell was that all about?" He asked as she ran towards him.

Mai grabbed Ven's hand, dragging him away. "Nevermind. Just run!" She laughed as the pair sprinted down the steps and chased after the Unversed that was almost out of sight. Ventus tightened his grip over Mai's hand as they ran through the large garden, he was a little worried over how she laughed at attacking those guards. Did she really find it funny? In Ven's opinion it wasn't the right thing to do, he would never have suspected Mai to do something like that, she could get arrested or something for such an offence!

When the pair reached the Town Square Mai quickly caught sight of the Unversed, but he was hovering above poor ol' Scrooge McDuck. "Ach, how dare ye? Back off, ye fiend!" The duck spat at the monster, swinging his walking stick at it. He laughed mockingly. "You'll not be gettin' _my_ munny!" He yelled, being sure to keep a hand over his pocket, it was probably full of munny.

Ventus gasped and summoned his KeyBlade. "Look out!" He warned before he threw his blade as though it were a boomerang.

Scrooge cowered away, holding his head. "Ah, I will." He said before the KeyBlade hit the monster in its head. The Unversed turned towards the teens before it turned away and started down another street, Mai and Ventus chasing after it. Scrooge adjusted the circular glasses that rested on his bill at the sight of the familiar brunette. "Hold on…" He mused. "Wait a moment, lass!" He called after Mai.

The green eyed girl paused in her tracks and looked over her shoulder. Ventus stopped shortly after her, glancing over his shoulder curiously. Scrooge stepped forward. "Don't I even get a chance to repay ye?" He asked.

Mai waved him off hurriedly. "Oh, that's okay. You don't have to." She said before she turned towards Ventus.

Scrooge glared at Mai's ill manners. "Now, just hold yer horses." He said firmly. "I dinna mean me fortune. Maybe a wee bit o' gold or a small token of…" His old voice trailed off. Ventus looked back over at the Unversed, seeing it disappear behind a corner; he groaned.

Mai turned to face blonde. "I'll go after the Unversed." She told him with a reassuring nod. Ventus sent her a strange glance before he reluctantly nodded and stepped forward. Mai turned back to the street where the Unversed had disappeared and charged after it, pulling her sword from her sheath as she went. Ventus watched until Mai was out of sight before he turned to the duck. "I'm sorry, but could you please make this fast?" He pleaded.

The duck smiled as an idea popped into his head. "I know – I've just the thing in me hat!" He said, pulling off the aforementioned clothing and looked inside. Ventus, getting curious, stepped forward to see if he could peek inside the hat. Scrooge saw this and chuckled. "C'mere." He said, gesturing the boy over.

Ventus sheepishly stepped over to him and rested her hands on his knees so he was at a closer level with the duck's short height. When Scrooge saw Ventus trying to peek inside his hat he held the opening close to his bill to block whatever was inside from sight. "You can tell me, lad. Your lass brought you here from another world, didn't she?" He said, causing Ventus to gasp. Scrooge merely chuckled. "Dinna worry. Me bill is sealed. Yer secret's safe with me…I'll not be askin' ye any awkward questions. Ye see, 'tis the same with me." He said.

Ventus stared at Scrooge with eyes wide in disbelief. The animal continued. "I asked a wizard named Merlin to bring me here from another world. After all, adventure is the mother of industry!" He said with an old laugh.

Ventus leaned closer to see if Scrooge had anything else to say, but when the duck said nothing he stood up straight with a pleased smile. "Great! That all?" He asked rhetorically, wanting to catch up with Mai as soon as possible to check she wasn't hurt; he felt a little bad having Mai chase the Unversed by herself.

Scrooge reached into his hat. "Ach, but I'm holding ye up, lad." He exclaimed as he rummaged around inside his hat before he pulled out a colourful piece of card, he held it out for Ventus. "Here. These are lifetime passes to Disney Town. Ye'll have buckets o' fun there, or my name is not Scrooge McDuck." He chuckled. "There y'are – enough for you, Mai, and two others - but be sure one of them is a grown-up." He said, and with a flick of his wrist the card slipped aside, showing three others. "Perhaps Kura would like to tag along with ye." He suggested.

Ventus stared at the duck with a small frown as he took the four tickets. "Who?" He questioned.

Scrooge laughed. "Oh, y'know – that young lad Mai would often visit with. The pair of them would usually cause mischief around this town; but he's a good lad at heart, never stole or nothin'." He said, pointing out a good trait of the boy.

Ventus felt a something pull at his chest. He had no words to say, the only thought running through his mind was if Scrooge was telling the truth. _Would Mai really…keep such a thing from me?_ He thought. Scrooge didn't seem like the type to tell a tall tale, and even if he was then how would he know Mai's name? "Can you…Can you tell me more about him?" He asked, begging almost.

Scrooge looked at him strangely before he waved Ventus off. "Ach, perhaps he was only close with Mai. Now, I'll not keep ye any longer lad." He said, gesturing Ven to chase after Mai before he turned away and started towards a street on the other side of the square. "An' be sure to keep Mai safe, I don't think Kura would appreciate it if ye let 'er get hurt!" He called over his shoulder lightly.

Ventus stood there, completely dumbfounded as he stared after the duck before he held up the four tickets, staring at them with a cold glare. He felt hurt, that was for sure – he found it too hard to understand. For as long as he could remember he'd only ever kept one thing from Mai, but that was because he'd only figured it out a few months ago – nobody else knew about it; only him. If he'd known about it for longer than he knew that he would've told her. But Ventus believed that Mai was somebody who he could trust; she was always there to listen to him whenever he felt down, and if he was stuck on anything Mai would be the first one to help him out.

Ven's grip tightened on the cards until they began to bend, but he quickly stopped when he realised what he was doing. He sighed heavily as he stuffed the tickets into his pockets. "Mai…how long where you actually planning on keeping this from me?" He asked quietly, wishing that she had somewhat heard him.

He stood there silently, waiting to hear Mai's voice for an answer…but when he heard nothing he sighed through his nose and started down the street Mai and the Unversed went through. As he walked Ventus saw a bright light in the corner of his eye, glancing over he saw the light shining through the windows of a small house. When the light died down he heard a loud crash and a feminine cry…it sounded familiar.

"Mai…?" He questioned aloud, staring at the house for a moment before the front door burst open, startling Ventus. He summoned his KeyBlade and watched a blur of red fall through the doorway and onto the ground in a small heap.

"Ow…" The red ball on the ground groaned before it unravelled itself. The first thing Ven saw was the head of long, wavy brown hair before the face revealed itself. "I can't see!" Mai screamed to herself in a dull tone as she blinked repeatedly. "Oh…no, it's okay." She said with a small laugh as she stood up, unsteady on her feet.

"My, I never would've thought it had that kind of power." Ven heard an unfamiliar voice say from inside the house before an old man walked into the doorway; he wore a long blue cloak with a pointy blue hat. He also had a long white beard that reached his ankles, wore small classes atop his button nose and held a wooden stick in his hand.

The old man stared down at Mai whilst he thoughtfully stroked his fingers through his long beard before Ventus caught his eye. "And who do we have here? Another scoundrel waiting to awaken the power inside him, is that it?" He questioned with an all knowing smug look on his wrinkled face.

Ventus stared at the man with surprise. "Wha-…How'd know?" He asked curiously.

The old man grinned smugly. "Us wizards have a knack for knowing such things." He said. Ventus blinked at him with wide eyes. _Wizard? ...Awesome! _He thought with small chuckle, causing the old man to raise a small brow at him, but he easily shrugged it off. "Welp, the book is inside on the table. You may have a gander, if you like." He suggested before he turned and headed back inside his house, sending Mai a strange glance before he closed the door.

Ventus blinked before he stepped up to the Wizard's door. He raised a blonde brow. "What book?" He asked himself, thoroughly confused before he glanced over at Mai, only to see that she was about to pounce on him. He didn't move out of the way in time, getting caught in Mai's hold as he fell to the floor, the brunette sitting atop him. "Mai?" Ventus yelled in surprise.

Mai could only giggle at him as she leaned down to his face with the biggest grin on her face. "It's awesome; Merlin has this book that apparently brings out your inner strength!" She exclaimed before she sat upright and outstretched her arms. "I tried it out for myself and I've never felt so alive!" She yelled before she rolled off of Ventus and jumped to her feet. "Let's kick some ass!" She exclaimed, unsheathing her sword and sliced through the air skilfully.

Ventus felt a small chuckle build up in his throat, but remembering what Scrooge McDuck had said to him his spirits fell yet again. He dully pushed himself to his feet and glanced over at Merlin's door. "Do you think I should try it?" He asked, glancing over at the sparring Mai. The brunette sheathed her weapon and nodded with a big grin. "'Course. Merlin said so himself that the book can unlock your inner abilities." She exclaimed with a small giggle, tilting her head to the side cutely.

Ventus stuttered, feeling his face grow warm as he switched his cerulean gaze to his feet. "Oh, right." He muttered before he walked over to the door and lightly knocked on the wood, a few seconds later the door scratched open, only there was nobody behind it. Ventus raised a brow, feeling a little unnerved as he stepped inside the cottage-like house. "Hello, Merlin?" He called into the house, but soon caught sight of the old wizard reading a book at a table in the center of the room.

When he saw Ventus he closed the book and gently set it on the table. "My, I knew your curiosity would get the better of you. The book is over there." He said, gesturing over to a small table in the corner of the room. Ventus glanced over at the table and saw a fairly large book sitting atop its surface, with a cautious look on his face he awkwardly stepped over to the table and picked up the book, inspecting it's cover; it was pretty simple, a bear, tiger, donkey, rabbit and piglet were on it with the words 'WINNIE THE POOH' at the top. There was also a magnetic lock on the side, keeping the book closed.

Ventus pulled at the lock and opened the cover, noticing that the first page was blank he skipped another page, this time there was a small forest over the double pages – it was almost like a map of some sort. Ventus noticed that small fragments of light started to float off the page before a blinding light erupted from the book, causing the blonde to close his eyes to block them from the bright light.

When the light died down Ventus opened his eyes and glanced around, the book had somehow escaped his hold and jumped back onto the table, the book closed and the lock in place. "Wha…?" he questioned as he began to pat different parts of his body; he didn't feel any different, so maybe it only worked on Mai for some reason.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Ventus glanced over at the owner of the hand, seeing none other than Mai standing beside him, a toothy grin playing her lips. "Y'did better than me; I accidentally dropped the book on my toe when it lit up – scared the crap outta me." She laughed.

Ventus smiled briefly at her before he turned to Merlin. "Are you sure this actually works? I mean, I don't feel any different." He exclaimed. Merlin stood from his seat at the table, making his way over to the teens. "That may be the situation, but I can assure you –when you need it – your inner strength will show." He reassured, readjusting his glasses.

Ventus thought over the wizard's words before he nodded. "I guess I just have to believe you." He said with a shrug before he glanced over at Mai. He blinked. "Mai, where's the Unversed?" He asked curiously.

Mai stood there more a moment before he face fell. "Crap." She muttered before she grabbed Ven's wrist and darted for the door. "Thank you, Merlin!" She called over her shoulder before she and Ventus left the house; the door closing behind them almost automatically.

"Mai, how could you forget about a giant Unversed like that?" Ventus scolded, pulling his wrist from Mai's grasp as they ran through the street, passing under an archway. On the other side of the arch was a beautiful fountain court; gentle looking fountains were dotted around the area, each spraying water towards the light heavens. Mai sighed. "I'm sorry, Ventus. It's just that I got caught up." She told him, a solemn expression passing her face.

Ventus sighed through his nose, looking around the fountain court for any sign of the Unversed before he found a dark tunnel in the wall on the other side of the court – the only way to get to it was by riding the fountains. "C'mon," He muttered before he started for the fountains on the far side of the area, Mai slowly following behind him. As she watched the back of Ven's head Mai couldn't help but feel fear grip at her heart.

_What did Scrooge say to him? Please don't tell me he mention Kura!_

The tormenting thought plagued her mind like a sick nightmare, but she didn't allow herself to dwell over the matter too long as Ventus jumped onto the nozzle of one of the fountains closest to the dark corridor – it's pressure being strong enough to send him into the air. Well, it would have to be pretty strong for the water to be shot at such heights.

Mai watched Ventus carefully as he latched onto the edge of the corridor, regaining himself before he pulled himself up with his upper body strength. Mai sighed deeply, shaking her head to clear her mind before she glanced up at the fountain, determination staining her features before she leaped into the water stream, closing her eyes to block them from the spurting water. The water was cold, but it wasn't too much as to make her curl up into a ball in search of heat – no, it was just cold enough to give her harsh goose bumps. Mai squinted her eyes open and reached out for the high ledge, but felt something warm wrap around her hands instead.

Glancing up, Mai caught Ventus' gaze. She blinked at him before she realised that she was hanging off a high ledge, she pushed her feet into the wall and push herself upwards, allowing Ventus to help her up. Once she was steady on her feet Mai glanced up at the blonde, noticing that he was gazing quite strongly at her, beads of water dripping from his hair. "Uh, Ven; you okay?" She asked nervously.

Feeling her hand being squeezed Mai looked down, seeing that Ventus was still holding her hand before he released his grip and started down the dark corridor, causing Mai to gasp. "Ven!" She called out and quickly clasped his hand, catching his attention. He glanced over at her with a confused expression before he realised how dark the corridor was, he nodded, earning a small sigh of relief from Mai as she hugged his arm before they both headed off into the darkness.

Mai felt the cold water from Ven's clothes dripping down her skin, reminding her that she was soaking wet herself; she brushed her wet bangs out of her face with a cold shiver before she hugged Ven's arm tighter. "I'm f-freezing." She whispered, shivering violently against his arm.

Ventus felt his face burn up, feeling Mai's bosom being unintentionally pressed into his arm, causing him to stutter. "Y-You'll dry off." He said, trying not to sound too nervous about Mai's chest on his arm. At his response Mai glanced up at his damp face with a small frown. "You're not angry at me, are you, Ven?" She asked in mild fear.

Ventus blinked, glancing down at the brunette's face; he could vaguely make out her face in the small light in the tunnel. "What? No, 'course not." He exclaimed, not sure if he'd passed off that lie. Of course he was upset with her; he had some person that he barely even knew telling him that his best friend had ran off with some random guy to another world, breaking her _own_ promise! Just how many other worlds had she gone to with him? It looked as though only the residents in Radiant Garden knew her, so maybe she only came a few times…

"Oh, good. I don't want you to be angry at me, Ven. You know that if I ever do anything to upset you, you can just tell me, right? I won't get offended." Mai explained, keeping her gaze to her feet as the light at the end of the tunnel grew closer fairly quickly. Ventus sighed deeply through his nose. "I know." He finally muttered just as they'd walked out of the tunnel.

* * *

><p><em><span>15 minutes later…<span>_

Mai breathed heavily as she and Ventus walked across the aqueduct until they reached another archway, giving way to another section. Mai had never been down that way before, so she didn't really know too much about it; all she knew was that it was the main mechanicals for the whole town. She put her sword away, the blade stained with Unversed goop from their stomachs from when she sliced them in half – she didn't expect to see any Unversed near the aqueduct, but apparently she was wrong…_very_ wrong.

Ventus came up beside her, sweat building up on his forehead as he disarmed his KeyBlade. "I'm not too sure Merlin's book actually works, I don't feel any stronger." He sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. Mai turned around and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll come when you need it most." She said, smiling reassuringly at him.

Ventus smiled, catching Mai's gaze. They stood there for a while, Mai not removing her hand from his shoulder. Ventus felt a sudden lump form in his throat, but he quickly swallowed it down as he took a cautious step closer to the brunette, noticing how her face had softened. _What am I doing…?_ Ventus thought as he took another step towards her. Mai twisted her body so that she was fully facing him, moving her hand to clutch the collar of his jacket.

Ventus caught sight of something moving relatively quickly in his peripheral vision and reluctantly glanced over in its direction just in time to see a blur of red in front of him before he felt something push him hard enough to send him flying back. Mai gasped, his collar slipping from her grasp as he was thrown through the open way before the Unversed that they were previously chasing pushed her forward as it hovered through the entrance.

Mai stuttered as her foot slipped on the stairs in front of her, sending her tumbling all the way down to the floor and landing face down with a harsh _thud_. "Ah," Mai groaned as she tried to push herself up onto her elbows, her eyes squinted in pain.

Mai looked up, catching sight of Ven's limp body not too far off – laying in the centre of the area. "V-…Ventus!" she yelled out before she managed to find the strength to push herself to her feet.

"Mai?"

The aforementioned girl glanced up with wide eyes, recognising the voice immediately. "T-Terra?" She exclaimed in surprise before she saw somebody standing behind him. "Aqua!" She called out. The bluenette stared at the green eyed girl with wide eyes, Terra doing the same. Mai shook her head, clearing her thoughts and waddled over to Ventus, managing to regain her balance as she walked.

Kneeling beside him, Mai rolled him over so he was on his back and moved his bangs from his face, seeing his eyes twitch. She sighed in relief. "You okay, kiddo?" She asked, placing her warm hand on his cheek. At her warm touch Ven managed to will his eyes to open. Hearing footsteps, Mai looked up, seeing Terra and Aqua running over to them. "What happened to you guys?" Aqua asked, kneeling on the other side of Ventus. The blonde glanced over at her, catching sight of his two friends. He smiled weakly and pushed himself up with weak arms, but Mai kept a firm hand on his back to keep him steady.

Mai looked up to the sky, seeing the familiar Unversed float down towards them, but it was accompanied by two others; one of them looked like a tube, whilst the other looked like it was just three legs joined together. She pointed up at the bee-like Unversed. "That happened." She said, causing the other three to look up at where she was pointing.

Terra quickly summoned his KeyBlade whilst Aqua stood to her feet and copied his action, readying themselves for a battle. Mai glared up at the monsters before she stood up, unsheathing her sword.

"No," Terra said in a firm voice, causing the small brunette to glance over at him with a raised brow. "What?" She questioned. Terra's face hardened with a frown as he glanced over at her. "Put that away and get Ven to a safe place. Aqua and I will take care of this." He said, looking back up at the Unversed as it began to transform; the tube-like Unversed split into two arms with large hands, and the three legs twisted so it only had two legs with triangular feet. They joined with the bee-like Unversed, forming a large robotic monster, a mask appearing on its face to protect it.

Mai stuttered with disbelief. "Are you kidding me? No way!" She protested as Ventus pushed himself to his feet, summoning his KeyBlade. "We can take care of ourselves, guys. It takes more than one lousy shot to K.O. me." He exclaimed, sinking down into his fighting position with a weak grin playing on his lips.

Aqua sighed. "You'll get hurt." She told him as the Unversed lowered to float in front of them. Ventus chuckled. "I'm already hurt." He said before he turned to Mai. She nodded at him, to which he returned before the pair ran ahead of Terra and Aqua, jumping up and landed critical hits on the Unversed. Terra and Aqua exchanged a glance, reluctantly nodding before they charged at the monster and started to attack it.

* * *

><p><em><span>67 minutes later…<span>_

"Terra!"

"Ven! Now!"

"C'mon!"

"_**CHEESE** **NIBBLETS!**_"

Terra, Aqua, Ventus, and Mai moved in on the Unversed; it's arms and legs now defeated so all that was left was the body. They all ran towards the Unversed that floated helplessly in the centre of the area. Aqua and Mai jumped up in unison, slashing at the Unversed; Mai – horizontally, and Aqua – vertically, before they landed on the floor just as Ven and Terra jumped at the Unversed and slashed at it diagonally. They all stood in a square around the Unversed and watched as it fell to the floor in pieces before it disappeared into darkness, leaving no sign that it was ever there.

Mai breathed heavily, feeling her heart pounding against her ribcage as adrenaline raced through her veins. She was exhausted, it showed on her flushed face, It didn't take long for her weak legs to give beneath her, sending her on her backside and she gasped for air. Seeing a shadow in front of her Mai glanced up, seeing Ventus standing over her with a hand outstretched for her.

Mai chuckled as she took Ven's hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet, she couldn't help but laugh as she leaned on him to keep her balanced. Ventus let out a small chuckle, but he found regaining his heavy breath was more important. Mai felt his hot breath on her ear, causing her face to heat up.

"Got 'im." Terra exclaimed with a grin as he and Aqua jogged over to them, their breathing almost normal. They stopped in front of the younger teens. "We make a good team." Aqua said with a light laugh. Mai smiled at her before she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Terra's and Aqua's torso, pulling them in for a hug, to which they eagerly returned. "I missed you guys," Mai muttered under her breath before she stepped away from them, staring up at their faces, seeing the smiles that she longed to see.

Ventus chuckled before his face became that of remembrance. "Oh, yeah! I got you guys these tickets." He said, stuffing his hand into his pocket before he pulled out the four colourful passes that Scrooge had given him. Terra raised a brow. "For what?" He asked curiously.

His three friends stared at the passes strangely as he passed one of the colourful cards to Mai. "Lifetime passes to Disney Town. He said to-" Ventus quickly cut himself off as he stared at Mai, but she kept her gaze on her new Disney Town pass.

"_Here. These are lifetime passes to Disney Town. Ye'll have buckets o' fun there, or my name is not Scrooge McDuck." Scrooge chuckled. "There y'are – enough for you, Mai, and two others - but be sure one of them is a grown-up." He said, and with a flick of his wrist the card slipped aside, showing three others. "Perhaps Kura would like to tag along with ye." He suggested._

Ven felt a small frown etch its way onto his face before he quickly shook it away and glanced up at Terra and Aqua, he handed them their own passes. "He said to take _two_ grown-ups." He said with a fake smile. It was a lie, but it was one nobody would know about, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

Aqua and Terra took their passes and exchanged a quick glance before they both let out a small laugh. "You mean us?" Aqua asked, stuffing her card away in her pocket. Ventus nodded with a small grin. Aqua smiled down at the small boy before she glanced over at Terra, seeing the sudden firm look that he was giving her.

Aqua sighed through her nose and switched her gaze to the younger teens in front of her. "Listen to me, guys…We need to get you home-" Ventus cut her off. "It's okay, Aqua. Trust me, that guy in the mask is history. He'll never bad-mouth Terra – or Mai again." He exclaimed with a smug grin on his features.

Mai stuttered from hearing her name, but remained silent – although Terra had a different approach. He gasped silently and quickly reached forward to grip Ventus by his shoulder. "You saw the boy in the mask?" He asked urgently, his grip tightening on the blonde's shoulder. Ventus was surprised, he stared up at the brunette with eyes wide with fear. "Uh…Y-Yes?" He answered, unsure of whether he should've said that or not, but he sighed with relief when Terra released his shoulder, holding the now sore appendage in order to soothe the ache.

"Vanitas…" The words seemed to glide from the older brunette's tongue, and his voice was almost too quiet to hear, but Mai heard it like a whisper in her ear. She gasped as the name sent violent shivers down her spine, but she didn't dare move a muscle, the last thing she wanted was to look suspicious to her friends.

Terra stared the younger blonde down. "Ven. You let Aqua take you home." He then glanced over at Mai with an equal stare, "and Mai…" His voice trailed off as a deep frown tugged at his brows. "You have to go home. Now." He said.

Mai stuttered, staring at her brotherly figure in pure disbelief. "What? No way! Ven and I have come way too far to find you just to go home empty handed!" She snapped. All three of her friends glanced over at her in mild shock, neither of them expected her to react in such a way. Ventus was the first to recover and turned to Terra. "Let us go with you guys." He begged.

Terra shook his head with a deep sigh. "You can't. We have a dangerous task ahead of us." He exclaimed. "I don't want either of you to get hurt." He said, switching his gaze between the younger two.

Aqua felt a small frown tugging at her brows. "And what is this dangerous task, Terra?" She asked, catching Terra's attention. "It doesn't sound like what the Master told you to do." She said. It may have been accidental, but the tone in her voice almost made it sound like she was mocking the older boy. But Terra made nothing of it. "It might be a different route, but I'm fighting the darkness." He told the bluenette confidently, glancing over at her.

Aqua sighed deeply, slowly switching her gaze to her metallic shoes. "I'm not so sure." She exclaimed. "I've been to the same worlds as you, and I've seen what you've done." She said before looking back up at Terra. "You shouldn't put yourself so close to the darkness." She told him as kindly as she could.

Ventus, listening closely to Aqua's words, stuttered at her and stepped forward. "Listen to yourself, Aqua. Terra would never-"

"You mean you've been spying on me?" Terra cut in. Mai could hear the pain in his words. The thought of being mistrusted by their friend almost made Mai feel pity for her brotherly figure – but she didn't allow herself to get too caught up on feeling sorry about him; recalling that he despised pity. Terra felt a small frown tug at his brows. "Is that what he said to do? The Master's orders?" He asked.

Aqua stuttered. "He was only…" she couldn't find the words to say as she stared off to the side to avoid anyone's gaze. Mai felt her shoulders drop and her gaze lowered. "Aqua…" She muttered, mildly upset with the bluenette. Terra sighed through his nose, agitated. "I get it." He mumbled before he turned and started for the stairs on the far end of the control area.

Mai stared up at Terra and started after him. "Terra-"

"Just stay put!" He finally snapped, stopping in his footsteps. His sudden outburst caused Mai to skid across the floor as she pushed her heels into the ground to stop herself. Terra still didn't turn to face any of them. "I'm on my own now, all right?" He asked rhetorically, his voice firm and cold, but Mai could sense the pain in his words.

Aqua stepped forward. "Terra, please! Listen!" She begged urgently before he was too far away to even hear her as he walked away. "The Master has no reason to distrust you, really! He was just worried." Aqua called after him, but Terra simply ignored her and continued up the stairs before he left their sight.

Ventus glanced up at Aqua, a solemn frown etched on his face. "You're awful, Aqua." He said in a low voice, feeling guilty about saying it; but he felt that he should speak his mind. Aqua nodded, agreeing with him. "So now you know the truth. But the Master loves Terra, and you know that too." She exclaimed, reluctantly glancing up at the blonde beside her.

Ventus looked up, but he didn't meet her gaze. "Were you also…'ordered' to take us home?" He asked hesitantly, gesturing towards him and Mai by glanced over at her before he met Aqua's eyes.

Aqua didn't answer; instead she stared down at her shoes with a heavy sigh. Mai closed her eyes for a brief moment, allowing her thoughts to flood her mind before she glanced up at the stairs where Terra had left, only waiting a few seconds before she ran to the stairs. Ventus stuttered, reaching out for her. "Mai, where're you-"

"To find Terra!" She yelled back before she started up the stairs and followed after the older brunette. Ventus stared after her for a moment before he relaxed, knowing that Mai didn't need to be babysat all the time. He sighed and glanced up at Aqua, only to see that she was also looking after Mai with a mildly worried expression on her face. Ventus felt a small frown tug at his brows. "Aqua…now that you're a KeyBlade Master, you've let it go to your head." He said before he glanced down at his feet. "I'd better go after Mai…she might hurt herself." He said in a quiet voice, but it was loud enough for Aqua to hear before he started after Mai, hoping to catch up with her before she got in harm's way.

Ventus passed through the aqueduct and the fountain courts without a hitch, only having to fight a few Unversed before he reached the Town Square. Once there, he caught sight of a small boy dressed in a lab coat standing in the center of the square, but the thing that startled Ventus was that he was surrounded by Floods. The blonde sped over to the little's boys side – noticing that his hair was a greyish steel blue – and summoned his KeyBlade.

"Run!" He told the boy. The blue haired child glanced over at him with electric blue eyes, only his right one was covered by his hair, and nodded before he turned on his heel and ran off to find safety.

Ventus sunk down into his fighting position and readied himself to take on the Unversed before he charged into them, slashing away at anything that moved.

* * *

><p><em><span>Ten minutes later…<span>_

Ventus gasped for air, feeling worn out from defeating the multiple Unversed; every time he killed one monster two more would simply take its tow, and he still hadn't fully recovered from fighting that Trinity Unversed with Terra, Aqua, and Mai.

"Ienzo, where are you?" A voice called out from behind Ventus. Glancing over his shoulder he saw a fairly old man with long, creamy-blonde hair. "Answer me!" He called. He then glanced over at Ventus and started down the ramp. "Ah, there you are." He said, causing Ventus to raise a brow as he looked behind him; seeing the blue haired boy walking toward him.

The boy stopped in front of Ventus, causing the old man to stop in front of him as well. "Didn't I warn you not to wander off, child?" He questioned with a small frown. The boy didn't respond to him as the old man turned to face Ventus. "I see we owe you our thanks. We have done our best to raise the boy…since his poor parents are not here to do it." He said, a solemn expression passing his slightly wrinkled face.

Ventus stuttered, feeling slight pity for the young boy. "Oh…you're on your own, huh?" He asked, but 'Ienzo' didn't respond to him; the most he did was blink. Ventus felt a little unnerved by the boy's emotionless stare before he glanced up at the blonde man. "Sir, I'm looking for a friend of mine. She's a little shorter than me and she wears and red kimono, have you seen her?" He asked.

The man raised a hand to his face and held his chin in thought. "Hm…" he pondered before he dropped his hand and glanced over at the entrance to the Outer Garden. "Perhaps I did see her in the Outer Gardens – she appeared to be chasing a boy that looked fairly similar to her." The man said before he looked down at Ven and gestured towards the entrance with his arm. "Just follow this road." He told him.

Ventus stared off at the entrance before he looked up at the man. "Thank you." He said with an appreciative smile. The man shook his head. "No, thank you, for keeping Ienzo out of harm's way. And…" He trailed off, turning towards the bottom gates that lead to the castle, but he kept his gaze on the younger blonde. "Well, let's say I have a feeling we are destined to cross paths again." He said, sending Ventus a chilling smirk before he started for the gates.

The young blonde was confused as he looked down at Ienzo, meeting his gaze before the young boy followed after the man. Ventus stared after the pair for a while before he turned the Outer Gardens, pondering his thoughts for a while before he ran over to the stairs that lead to the entrance.

* * *

><p>Ventus stood in the open gateway, staring over at the two brunettes who were in front of the fountain in the center of the cobblestone area; they were sat on the edge of it – talking about something. Ventus blinked, standing there for a while before he found the strength in him to go over and interrupt their conversation, but he stopped short when he saw Terra stand up, glancing at the floor.<p>

Ventus felt a confused frown tug at his brows as he slowly started for the pair. He noticed that Terra said something to Mai, causing her to look up at him with watery eyes before she jumped to her feet and wrapped her arms tightly around her 'brother's' torso; hugging him tightly.

Terra didn't hesitate to hug the girl back, enclosing her in a friendly embrace before he stepped away from her. As Ventus grew closer to them Terra finally caught sight of him and smiled, waiting until the blonde stood beside him. "Ven, you'd better do her right." He said, patting the boy on the shoulder before he stepped back and pressed the red button on his metallic-like arm guard.

Ventus closed his eyes briefly from the bright light that surrounded Terra before it died down, showing the masculine brunette in his armour before he summoned his KeyBlade Glider and headed off into space. Ven watched after him, a little confused about Terra's words before he looked down at Mai, only to see that her head was hung low and her shoulders were shaking.

"Mai-?" Ventus was cut off when the small girl ran into him, wrapping her arms around him and sobbed into his jacket. The blonde was surprised by her sudden action, but he quickly regained himself and wrapped his arms around her form, taking in her warmth.

A few minutes later – although it only felt like a few seconds for Ven – Mai pulled away from him with a weak chuckle. "Sorry." She muttered, wiping away at her wet face with her sleeves. "I guess I just kinda lost myself there for a bit, huh, kiddo." She laughed, looking up at Ventus from behind her chocolate brown bangs.

Ventus sent her a purely confused stare. "What did he say to you?" He asked, placing his hand on the back of her neck as a form of comfort. Mai shook her head, sniffling. "He just said 'goodbye' and left." She exclaimed, glancing up at Ventus.

The blonde sighed through his nose, searching her eyes for a lie, but when he saw nothing he relaxed. "I know that's not all he said to you." Ventus closed his eyes before he opened them, leaning down to Mai's face. The brunette froze under his intense closeness, he even grew closer to the point where their noses touched. "What else did he say?" He asked in a hushed voice.

Mai stuttered, feeling her face heat up as shivers ran down her spine from feeling his hot breath graze her lips. "H-He said that…you would do what's best; what's best for the both of us…

"_I know he'll keep you safe, Mai…he'll do what's best; for you both."_

"_But Terra, why can't we go with you? We've come so far, there's no way we'd give up-"_

"_Mai!"_

"…"

"…_This task that Aqua and I are facing…it's too dangerous-"_

"_Everybody would always tell me and Ven that the outside world would be too dangerous for us, yet we've managed to accomplish every task we've been faced with so far, what makes you think that we're not ready?"_

"…"

"…"

"…_Mai…Just go home with Ven."_

"_No way-!"_

"_You might never see me again!"_

"…_What…?"_

"…_Go home, Mai. If I don't come home…just know that I've always loved you; you've always been my little sister, and I will do everything that I can to keep you safe...but if I don't come home; I know Ven would-"_

"…"

"…"

"…_I love you too, brother."_

"…_Goodbye, Mai…"_

…and then he left." Mai finished; feeling the tears burning up in her eyes as she choked back a sob. Ventus was surprised, the thought of Terra never returning home scared him, and the fact that Aqua was going with him was even scarier.

Ventus reached down and grabbed Mai's hand before he pulled her into him, embracing her tightly as he hid his face in her hair. Mai was surprised by his sudden action, but when she felt her heart beginning to ache from her older friends' departure she reached her arms around Ventus and dug her fingers into his jacket; refusing to let him go.

Ven took a deep inhale of breath; breathing in the heavenly scent of her hair; it was hard to describe the smell – but Ven knew that he liked it. "He's coming back." He said in a soothing voice. "They both are." He told her.

Mai took a moment to take in his words before she tightened her arms around him. "But what if they don't?" She sobbed into his jacket, soaking it with her pained tears. Ventus felt a small smile cross his lips as he pulled away from Mai, causing her to glance up at him to catch his cerulean eyes. "Then we'd better go tell Aqua that she'd best come home." He said.

Mai blinked at him for a moment, only now realised the close proximity of their faces. Mai quickly pulled herself away from him, feeling her face burn up with embarrassment. "U-Uh…Heh, I guess we should." She said, smiling sheepishly up at Ventus as she nervously rubbed the back of her neck.

Ven stared at her for a moment before he smiled heartedly at her, causing Mai to stutter before she stalked off towards the front gates with a speedy walk. "Well, kiddo; what're y'waiting for? Let's hurry up before she leaves!" She asked over her shoulder.

Ventus' eyes followed after her for a moment before he let out a soft chuckle and followed after the young girl in a jog. It didn't take him long to catch up with her, but when he did he had to speed walk along with her just to keep up – but as he did he sent her a quick glance, taking note of how red her face was, causing him to smile to himself.

Did he really do that to her?

When they reached the top of the stairs, Ventus caught sight of Aqua standing in the middle of the town center; her KeyBlade in hand. Ventus was about to run over to her when Mai nudged his arm, causing him to glance over at her. "I'll be back in a second, okay?" she said, not giving the blonde enough time to reply before she dashed off toward the street were Merlin's house was.

Ventus stuttered, surprised by her sudden leave, but he quickly shook it away and dashed towards the bluenette. "Aqua!" He called out, catching her attention. Aqua turned to face him, disarming her KeyBlade as he stopped in front of her. "Were you able to find him?" She asked.

Ven sighed through his nose and hung his head low. "Yeah, but…he's gone." He answered solemnly. Aqua glanced off to the side. "Right. Then I can't stay here." She said before she glanced up at the sky with longing eyes.

Ventus looked up at Aqua hopefully. "Let us come with you, Aqua." Ventus pleaded with a faithful smile. "No, Ven." The bluenette snapped, frowning down at the younger boy, causing the blonde to recoil. "Do as I say and go home." She ordered.

Ventus stared at her for a moment with a pained expression before he dropped his gaze to the ground, closing his eyes. "Why not?" He asked weakly. Aqua looked over his fragile form, guilt gripping at her chest. She knew that she was hard on him, but she knew that he wouldn't listen to her otherwise. "I don't want to put you in harm's way." She explained before she turned to Ventus and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You understand?" She asked rhetorically before she stepped away from him and started for the road that lead to the Outer Gardens; wanting to leave Radiant Garden without getting spotted by anybody.

Mai ran into the Town Square with a grin on her face, keeping a hand behind her back. When she saw Ventus standing in the middle of the Square she glanced over at Aqua, only to see her looking over at Ventus from the top of the stairs before she walked down them and out of sight. Mai stood there for a moment before she switched her gaze over at Ventus, catching his shoulders beginning to shake and rubbed his face with his arm. "Ven," she muttered and ran to him.

When she reached his side she heard his quiet sobs. "What's wrong, kiddo?" She asked, leaning forward to see his face, but Ven tilted his head away from her. Mai smiled and reached up with her free hand and placed it on his cheek before she turned his face towards her, seeing his eyes red and puffy behind his blonde bangs.

Mai shook her head with a warming smile, one that made Ven's heart flutter. "Ven-" Mai was cut off when Ventus leapt forward and wrapped his arms around Mai's waist, holding her tightly as he buried his face into the top of her head.

Mai was shocked by his action, causing her grip to loosen on what she was holding behind her back, causing it to fall to the ground. When it landed it sounded like wood hitting concrete before it settled on the floor. Mai waited painfully for Ventus to say something about the sound, but when he said nothing she sighed quietly in relief and wrapped her arms around his neck, lifting herself onto her tiptoes so she could bury her face into his neck; she could feel his chest heaving with silent sobs.

"Ven," Mai whispered softly and rubbed his back comfortingly, her face fell, "maybe…maybe we should listen to them." She suggested. She heard nothing but silence from the boy who held her so tightly. "Maybe we should go home." She said reluctantly.

Ven felt his body go stiff for a moment before he loosened his grip around her small form and pulled away from her; staring at her with a purely disbelieving look. "What?" He questioned, a small frown etched on his face.

Mai stuttered. "Ven, don't look at me like that." She exclaimed, a fearing frown etching across her face. Ventus dropped his hands from her sides. "Mai…How can you even say that, after all we've done?" He questioned her.

Mai gripped his collar, "I didn't mean it like that-" Ventus reached up and gripped Mai's wrist, pulling them off his jacket. He shook his head at her. "I thought we were on the same side. So everything we've gone through; travelling the worlds, meeting new people – none of that meant anything to you?" He spat, causing Mai to flinch back. "Ven-"

"The amount of times I came to help you when you were in trouble! I would always be there for you; hold your hand when you were scared, be your shoulder to cry on. You always had me believe that I can trust you with anything, but here you are; hiding so many things from me that I've lost count!" Ventus began shouting until his face turned red with anger.

Mai felt her heart beginning to wrench, her eyes blurring over with tears, but she refused to let them fall and stepped forward. "I know you're always there for me, you think I don't know that?" She questioned. "Yes, I have to keep secrets from you, but that's only because I don't want to hurt you - I'm always thinking about you, Ven! I never want to hurt you, not ever, and the only way for me to keep you happy is to keep you away from my skeleton in the closet!" Mai yelled. "I respect you so much for always caring for me, in fact I absolutely adore you for it, and you _can_ trust me with anything, and I trust you! But you have to believe me when I say that I only wanna make you happy. I love it when you smile, Ven."

Her face suddenly softened in a pained expression, "and I think it would be best for us to go home – no, I know…I know it would be better for us; because if I ever lost you then I know that I'd never be able to live with myself, and I know you would too if I was gone…" Mai's voice trailed off, her own face red and her voice wavering as she fought against the tears that wanted to fall.

Mai hated herself, the fact that she decided to argue back with Ventus instead of trying to calm him confused her, and she didn't like it. Ventus scoffed. "Y'know what? I don't even need you here, just go home." He snapped, but once the words left his mouth it dawned on him what he'd actually said. His face dropped.

Mai gasped at his words and stepped back in fright, only to step on something unstable on the floor and caused her to crash to the floor. Ventus stared at Mai wide-eyed, seeing her face clench and tears falling down her cheeks. "Mai…" He started, stepping towards her cautiously, but Mai met his gaze with a viscous glare. Just the pained look on her face was enough to stop Ven in his tracks as guilt ripped at his heart and filled his stomach; almost to the point where he felt like he would explode.

Mai shook her head before she looked down at what she tripped over, she picked it up at stood to her feet. Ventus glanced down at what she was holding and silently gasped; she held a wooden version of his KeyBlade in her hand, his name etched on the hilt of it.

Mai held to wooden KeyBlade up to her face, allowing her eyes to trace over its smooth wooden surface before she glared over at Ventus. "Happy birthday, Ven." She spat, throwing the weapon to the floor before she turned on her heel and dashed off toward the street that lead to the gardens.

Ventus stood there. Shocked. As he watched after Mai, he felt his insides twist painfully. _How could I even say something like that…? _He scolded at himself and raised a fist before he continuously pounded it against his skull in aggravation. Ventus fell to his knees, hands on the ground to keep him from face planting the concrete before his eyes landed on the wooden version of his KeyBlade; the shape was a little wonky, and the hilt and teeth were attached to its body with nothing but tight string. He glanced over at the hilt, seeing his own name carved into it, but where Mai's hand must've slipped the S scratched over the T and U.

Ventus slowly reached out for the home made weapon, feeling its surprisingly smooth surface under the rough skin on his hands. He gripped his fingers around the hilt and held the weapon up to his face, inspecting it closely. "Happy…birthday…?" He pondered for a moment before his eyes widened. "It's my birthday." He established. Ventus' cerulean eyes gazed up at the street where Mai had left, feeling his own eyes tear up. "Mai…" He mumbled, sitting back on his feet and began to hit himself in the head with the present.

* * *

><p>Mai continued to run, tears falling from her emerald orbs and fell from her chin, leaving them trailing behind her. Mai lifted her arm to her face to hide her sobs. She could feel her heart being torn apart inside her chest, leaving her in agony as she ran further away from the boy that caused her so much pain within just a few minutes.<p>

Anything else. He could've said anything else; yell about her keeping secrets, about her wanting to go home – but telling her that he didn't need her, that she should go home; that crossed the line for her. No matter what he said now to make it up to her, there was nothing that he could do to make her forgive him.

Mai's raging thoughts were cut short when she bumped into somebody, causing her to fall back on her butt. "Of, sorry about -…Mai?" The aforementioned girl looked up at the familiar voice, catching a set of neon green eyes staring down at her. "L-…Lea?" She asked, taking a look at his entire face; he had his usual crimson red hair spiked back, and he wore his usual attire.

The usually cocky red head bent down on one knee, a worried frown tugging at his brows. "Mai, what happened? Did you and Kura have a fight or-"

"Lea!" Mai cut him off, jumping on the boy and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, causing the boy to fall back, but he kept a hand on the ground behind him to keep him sitting up as he placed his free hand on the sobbing girl's back.

Lea glanced over his shoulder, looking up at the deep green eyes bluenette standing behind him, "I told ya, Isa; she wants me." He said with a smirk, causing Mai to pull away from him with a small giggle, but still leaned all of her weight on him. "I do not." She said with a small smile, punching his chest lightly before she wiped away at her tears with her sleeve.

Lea glanced over at her, his smug smirk still there. "Maybe not, but it seemed to've cheered you up." He chuckled. Mai smiled at him before she glanced up at Isa. "Hey." She greeted softly, not too in the mood to greet him really hyper like she always would; with how emo-like he was Mai always found it fun to greet him over-happily.

Isa nodded. "Nice to see your doing well." He joked, but he kept his face fairly emotionless. Mai rolled her eyes at him and pushed herself off Lea, allowing him to stand. Lea stood firmly on his feet before he held a hand out for the brunette. "So, what's the matter?" He asked as the girl took his hand, allowing the red head to pull her to her feet.

Mai shook her head. "It's nothing." She answered, not wanting to relive the memory. Lea raised a brow, waving his finger in front of her face. "Nuh-uh, you ain't passing that off. Now c'mon; did Kura upset you or something-"

"It wasn't Kura." Mai cut him off sharply, averting her gaze to the floor. The red head found himself confused. "Huh?" He questioned. Isa stepped forward. "Then what is the problem?" He questioned, not too happy about having the conversation dragged out.

Mai glanced up at the bluenette, thinking over whether or not she should tell them before she sighed. "I just had an argument with somebody close to me, that's all." She exclaimed before glancing over at Lea. "But it wasn't Kura." She quickly added, causing him to nod.

"Ah, I get it. So, who was it, then?" He asked. Mai sighed through her nose. "Well, it was somebody I thought was my best friend. But now I'm not so sure if I can forgive him for what he said." She mumbled, but Lea seemed to catch onto her words. He felt a deep frown tugging at his brows. "Whoa, hold it – it was a guy?" He asked in disbelief.

Mai glanced up at the red head and let out a small giggle; Lea was always the one for chivalry, always respecting every girl he came across and treating her like a princess – even if he barely knew her, so when Lea found out that a guy had hurt Mai he growled. "I'll kill 'im." He seethed.

Mai shook her head. "No, I don't think that's necessary." She told him. Lea disagreed. "Are you kidding me-?" He was cut off when Isa reached forward and placed a hand on the red head's shoulder, causing him to glance over at him. Isa shook his head. "If she doesn't think it's necessary, then I believe you should take her word for it." He said wisely.

Lea sighed, glancing back over at Mai. "I guess you're right." He said before he smiled. "Well, if Mai says its okay, then there isn't really anything I can do, is there?" He asked rhetorically, causing Mai to giggle. "Thank you, Lea." She said before she glanced over at Isa. "So, were you two heading somewhere?" She asked.

Isa nodded. "Yeah, in fact; we should get going." He answered exchanging a quick glance with Lea. The red head groaned. "Aw, do we hafta leave? We ain't seen Mai in about forever!" He complained, causing the bluenette to roll his eyes.

Mai smiled. "It's okay, we'll end up bumping into each other again soon; we always do." She said. Lea blinked at her for a moment before he shrugged. "Hm, you're right…I guess." He said before he turned to Isa. "So, should we get going?" He asked. Isa nodded and walked passed Mai. "See you soon." He said as he passed by her. Mai waved at him before she glanced over at Lea, seeing the sad look on his face, she giggled and held her arms out to him. "Does somebody want a hug good bye?" She asked teasingly.

Lea didn't waste a second and ran into her arms, lifting her off the ground before he placed her back on her feet and pulled away from her. "I'll catch ya later." He said before he followed after Isa and towards the Town Square, waving over at Mai.

The brunette waved back with a grin until he was out of sight. Her smile dropped and a sigh escaped her lips before she turned on her heel and slowly walked away, her head hung low as she allowed her mind to be plagued by her thoughts again.

* * *

><p>Ventus sat against the wall of the lower platform in the Town Center, holding the wooden KeyBlade up to eye level, allowing his eyes to trace every inch of it before he flipped it into the air lazily, catching it with ease and flipped it again.<p>

He continued to do so until he caught the present awkwardly, causing it to slip from his fingers. He tried to grab it with his other hand, but that resulted in him accidentally throwing it off to the side, landing in front of the ramp. It was then at that moment that Ven heard footsteps before two boys walked down the ramp, one of the stopping in front of his weapon.

Ventus glanced up at the boy, seeing that he had bright red hair spiked back, a yellow scarf around his neck with a sleeveless orange jacket and greyish coloured caprice. The boy glanced down at the KeyBlade before he bent down to pick it up, standing up straight he glanced over at the blonde. "This yours?" He asked.

The other boy looked back at his friend – he had deep blue hair with dark green eyes, he wore a dark blue jacket with a yellow crescent moon on the left side of the chest with white trousers. "Lea, we don't have time for this." He exclaimed.

The red head waved him off. "Lighten up, Isa. It'll only take a sec." He said, walking over to the cloudy blonde. Lea swung the sword in his hand. "You still play with toy swords? That's cute." He teased, holding the KeyBlade out for him.

Ventus reached up and quickly snatched the weapon from the boys hand, holding it protectively. Lea chuckled. "You think that's worth somethin'? Take a load o' this." He said, pulling out two small Frisbees with flames on them that had angry faces from behind his back, holding them out to his side. "Tada! Whaddaya think?" He asked smugly, dropping his arms and swaying the Frisbees by his fingers.

Ventus averted his gaze to Mai's present. "Not a whole lot." He answered bluntly, causing the red head to stutter. "You're just jealous. I'm Lea." He introduced, tapping his temple with his finger whilst holding his Frisbee with his free fingers. "Got it memorized?" He asked rhetorically. "What's your name?"

Ventus sighed through his nose, secretly hoping for him to go away, but he wasn't going to say it. "Ventus." He answered dully, not even glancing up at the boy. Lea grinned. "Alright, Ventus. Let's fight!" He exclaimed, causing Ventus to look up at the boy strangely. "Fight? Why would I wanna do that?" He asked.

Lea felt his grin widen as he leaned forward, waving his Frisbee in the blonde's face. "You scared of loosin'?" He teased. "C'mon." Lea urged before he leapt back into the center of the Square, swaying his 'weapons' by his side. "Hope you're ready!" He called.

Ventus slowly shook his head, glancing down at the floor before a small smile etched his face and he grinned up at the red head. "Alright, you're on!" He exclaimed, feeling his mood change in an instant as he stood to his feet, picking up his wooden KeyBlade as he did.

Lea grinned. "Yeah! Now we're talkin'." He chuckled. Ventus held the KeyBlade firmly by his side. "You're gonna be sorry." He warned.

Isa, standing on the sideline, couldn't help but chuckle at how childish his friend could be.

Ventus and Lea stared each other down before they both charged at each other, leaping into the air to attack.

* * *

><p>Mai sighed, allowing her skin to soak up the sun's calm rays as she found peace within herself, although Ven's words still bothered her greatly. Mai sighed as she lowered her head, her eyes scanning over the flowers down on the lower garden, her legs dangling over the edge of the second garden floor.<p>

Their argument kept replaying through Mai's mind, almost like a broken record, and no matter how much she tried she couldn't seem to distract herself from it.

"Hey, watch out!" A small voice called out from behind her, but before she could react she felt something bump into her, it wasn't enough force to push her over the edge, but it was enough to startle her. Mai glanced over her shoulder, catching sight of a small ginger cat behind her, shaking its head back and forth. Mai raised a brow at the small cat before somebody came over and scooped the animal up in their arms. "Amelia, I told you to be careful." A girl scolded lightly at the cat, causing it to meow at her.

The girl looked about eleven or twelve; she had ebony black hair cut into a bob with a black bandanna across her forehead with reddish brown eyes, she was also clad in a black T-shirt and black shorts with big black boots. If Mai had to say she looked much like a little ninja. The girl glanced up at Mai and smiled apologetically. "Heh, sorry about that - I keep telling Amelia to be aware of the things around her." She said before she leaned forward and cupped one side of her mouth with her left hand. "She's going through ninja training. With me as her Sensei, of course." She said, grinning widely.

Mai couldn't help but giggle at the young girl before a silky grey cat appeared from behind the girl's feet, it had a large patch of white on its chest, reaching all the way down its stomach. Mai smiled. "Is that your other apprentice?" She asked, deciding to play along with the small girl's game as she pulled her feet from over the edge and stood to her feet.

The small ninja girl glanced down at the silky cat. "Uh, nah; Ren is too stubborn to be taught – she won't even let me pet her." She said with a childish pout, causing Mai to giggle at her. The small girl glanced up at Mai. "My name's Yuffie, what's yours?" She asked curiously, dropping Amelia on the floor in front of her, but as soon as she did the ginger cat began playfully swiping at Ren, but she was having none of it; instead she raised her nose in the air and walked away with a snobby attitude.

Mai's eyes followed the moody cat before she glanced up at Yuffie. "I'm Mai." She answered. Yuffie gasped and pointed at the brunette's face. "I've seen you around – I'm sure of it. A ninja never forgets..." She thought aloud, but before she could aboard her train of thoughts somebody called her name. "Yuffie!" A masculine voice called out, causing both girls to look behind Yuffie, catching sight of a boy; he looked about Mai's age – maybe older – and had chocolate brown hair that just passed the ridge of his neck with greyish blue eyes, he was dressed in normal attire; black baggy jeans with a white T-shirt and a long sleeved black jacket – he also had a necklace with a lion's head for the charm.

"Squall!" Yuffie called out before she ran over to the boy, bouncing excitedly in front of him. "Squall, I made a new friend, come an' see!" She chanted, pulling on the boy's arm and began to drag him towards Mai. The green eyed girl began to feel slightly embarrassed as the pair stopped in front of her, and 'Squall' started to stare her up and down. "Uh," was all she could say.

Squall turned to Yuffie. "I thought I told you not to call me 'Squall'." He said dully. Yuffie shrugged and gestured towards Mai. "Okay; _Leon_, this is Mai." She then turned to the flushed girl, "Mai, this is Leon." She said before she glanced over at the taller male, but he was looking over his shoulder.

Yuffie and Mai followed his gaze, catching sight of two other people walking their way; one boy and one girl. The girl had long brown hair that reached her hips, but she kept it all tied back in a ponytail with her bangs in her face and her teal eyes sparkled under the sun's light, she was also dressed in a light pink dress and looked the same age as Mai. The boy looked a little older than Mai; he had spiky blonde hair that – unlike Ven's – stuck out in every direction with bright sky-blue eyes. He was dressed similar to Leon; only he didn't have a jacket, and his shirt was black.

The two walked over to the small group of three, stopping right behind them. The girl in pink gawked at Mai. "And who might you be?" She asked, her voice sweet and genuine. Mai couldn't help but feel light hearted by her voice and smiled sheepishly. "Uh, I'm Mai." She answered awkwardly, feeling a little uncomfortable with the strangers' attention. The girl smiled. "Why, its nice to meet you, Mai. My name is Aerith." She said, bowing respectfully.

Mai chuckled awkwardly before the blonde boy caught her attention by stepping forward. "Cloud." He said, so Mai simply took that as being his name. "Oh, well…i-it's nice to meet you all." She said.

Yuffie let out a small laugh before a loud screech caught her ears, causing her to look over at her cats, seeing them in a small scrap. "Amelia! Ren, stop that!" She yelled as she ran over them. Aerith covered her mouth with her hand before she chased after the ninja. "Yuffie!" She called out. Leon sighed, glancing at Mai. "It was nice to meet you." He said before he stalked after the girls, his arms crossed.

Mai watched after them for a moment before she glanced over at Cloud, but she instantly flinched back when she saw him standing right in front of her, causing her to step back - but her foot to slip off the edge of the second story garden.

Mai gasped as she fell back, but Cloud quickly reached forward and grabbed her wrist, cutting her fall.

Mai stuttered, unable to find words to say as Cloud pulled her back onto her feet. "I've seen you before." He said thoughtfully, causing Mai to glance up at him strangely. Cloud leaned forward to inspect her face closely. The brunette froze. "U-Uh…" She quickly averted her gaze from the blonde, waving her hand in front of her face. "I-I get that a lot. I guess I just have a familiar face, is all." She said with an awkward chuckle before glancing up at Cloud.

The blonde had a firm frown etched onto his face before Leon called out for him "Cloud, hurry up!" He yelled, causing the pair to glance over at him, only to see Leon and the two girl casing the cats who began to run towards the garden's exit.

Cloud sighed through his nose, exchanging a quick glance with Mai before he slowly followed after his friends without a word. Mai stood there, watching after the blonde with wide eyes. He made her feel really nervous for some reason; it almost felt like he was burning holes into her skull whenever he looked at her…it was rather unsettling.

Mai waited until he was down the stairs before she let out a sigh, only now realising that she was holding her breath. Mai shook her head before she glanced up at the large Castle she and Ven had gone too –

Mai shook her head violently, trying to get the blonde out of her thoughts, but it seemed like when something wasn't distracting her Ventus was all she could think about, and it was starting to annoy her. Mai stared back up at the castle before she started for the stairs that led to the third garden floor so that she could go and visit the castle. Despite the guards being there, she was sure they wouldn't mind if she just sat there looking over the whole town.

Mai sighed thoughtfully and reached down her kimono before she pulled out her purple Wayfinder, finding herself lost in it for what felt like hours before she dropped her foot onto the step, but she was startled when she missed the step, sending her off balance and caused her to fall forward, her chin crashing against the floor as her WayFinder slipped from her grasp.

Mai groaned in pain and pushed herself up onto her elbows and rubbed her now sore chin, flexing it to check that she hadn't broken her jaw. It was then that Mai realised that she'd missed a step because she reached to top of the stairs. She sighed in annoyance and hung her head low.

"Here." A small voice said from above her. Mai glanced up, seeing her Wayfinder on the ground before a really small hand picked it up and held it out for her. The brunette glanced up at her Wayfinder before looked up at the person who picked it up for her; seeing a young girl – around the age of five – she had silky reddish pink hair that just passed by her shoulders with bright blue-violet eyes that sparkled with light, even though her eyes were hidden in the shadows from where she looked down at Mai. The small girl smiled sweetly.

* * *

><p>Lea fell back on his butt gasping for air as his Frisbees landed beside him. "You… had enough? 'Cause I'm willing to…call it a draw if you are." He said between heavy pants. Ventus raised a brow at him before he stood up straight with a small chuckle. "Right…" He said with an eye roll.<p>

Isa – who watched the pair sparring from the side – walked towards them. "From where I stood, the only thing you drew was a big L on your forehead for 'Loser'…'Lame', 'Laughable'…" He mocked, causing Lea to look up at him in disbelief as the bluenette came to stand behind him. "Wha – Isn't this the part where ya…cheer me up or somethin'?" He questioned, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly. "'You're just having a bad day', or…'That's what you get for pullin' your punches'!" Lea scoffed. "Some friend." He muttered, although Isa knew he meant no harm.

The bluenette smirked. "Oh, you mean I was supposed to lie?" He asked teasingly, causing Lea to sigh as he laid back on the ground, his arms crossed behind his head. "Ya see what I gotta put up with?" He asked, aiming his words at Ventus before he glanced up at the blonde. "Sure hope you don't have friends like him." He said, finishing with a small grin.

Ventus blinked at the red head, taking in his words before he chuckled, and soon after Lea and Isa joined in. When their laughter seized Isa sighed. "Lea, we have to go." He said. The red head nodded. "'Kay." He said before he picked up his Frisbees and stood to his feet whilst Isa started for the streets that lead to the castle.

Ventus felt a small frown tug at his brows. "Already?" He asked, feeling like they'd only been talking for a few minutes. Lea turned to face Isa but glanced at Ven over his shoulder. "I'll see ya when I see ya. After all, we're friends now." He said, causing Ventus to smile. "Get it memorized." He ordered playfully.

Ventus nodded, the smile unable to leave his face. "Okay, Lea." He said before the aforementioned boy followed after his friend, who stood on the ramp. Ventus chuckled before he glanced up at the sky. "Must be nice…" he thought aloud, "knowin' who your friends are." He said to himself before his face fell and he turned to face Lea and Isa, who were walking into the street. "Hey, Guys! Wait!" He called after them, running after the pair.

At the call both boys looked over their shoulder, catching sight of Ventus speeding towards them at inhuman speed. Lea turned to face him and placed his hands on his hips. "What's up, pup?" He asked with a raised brow.

Ventus ran up the ramp and stopped in front of them. "Uh, you guys haven't happened to see a girl around here, have ya?" He asked. "She's got long brown hair and she wears a red kimono; it's kinda hard to miss." He exclaimed.

Lea and Isa exchanged a small glance, frowns etched on their faces before Lea switched his gaze to the blonde. "Yeah, she was crying." He answered, growing a little suspicious.

Ventus nodded, hope in his eyes "Yeah, that's Mai!" He exclaimed, but when he realised that he said it a little too chirpy he lowered his voice. "Well, do you know where she went?" He asked urgently. Isa stepped forward. "I think she might've gone over to the gardens." He said.

Ventus nodded, a relieved smile crossing his lips. "Okay. Thanks, you guys." He said before he turned on his heel and dashed across the square and toward the street that lead to the gardens, not wasting a second to calm his legs.

* * *

><p>Mai lay with her back on the grass and her legs hanging over the edge of the third floor as she watched the little red headed girl behind her inspecting her Wayfinder in one hand, holding it up to the sky with a small bouquet of flowers in her other hand. "It's so pretty." She exclaimed, looking at the sky through the purple glass.<p>

Mai couldn't help but smile at the girl and sat up on her elbows. "Hey, kid; what's your name, anyway?" She asked with a raised brow, squinting her eyes to block out the bright sun. The girl seemed too entranced to realise that she was asked something before she glanced down at Mai with a smile. "What's your name?" She asked sweetly.

Mai blinked at her for a second before she let out a small laugh. "I'm Mai. What about you?" She asked again. The small girl held out the purple charm for the brunette. "Kairi. It's nice to meet you, Mai." She said with a light giggle. Mai couldn't help but smile as she took the charm and held it up to the sky, looking through the glass.

"Where did you get it?" Kairi asked, aiming her words at the charm in Mai's hand. The brunette sent her a quick glance before she looked back up at the Wayfinder. "My friend – Aqua. She made them herself." She answered.

Kairi's face smile widened. "Hey, I know Aqua!" She exclaimed, catching Mai's attention; she sat up straight and stared over at the young girl with surprise. "How?" She asked.

Kairi giggled, picking at the flowers in her small bouquet. "She saved me from those mean monsters, and then she cast a spell on me – like a witch." She said, glancing up at the brunette with a grin as she pointed to the necklace around her neck before she looked at Mai with a confused look etched on her face. "Did she cast a spell on you to make you her friend?" She asked, quickly reaching out and held the emerald on her necklace - Mai had almost forgotten it was there. "Hm...I can't feel anything." She mused, inspecting the jewel carefully, causing Mai to laugh. Kairi gasped. "Maybe she made you drink her potion without you knowing!" She suggested. Mai couldn't help but laugh harder as she shook her head, making Kairi pout. "But I always thought witches were ugly, with warts on their enormousness noses with green skin…but Aqua was the most beautiful witch I'd ever seen!" Kairi concluded, swaying back and forth childishly.

Mai rolled her eyes playfully at the small girl over the over use of the word 'enormous' before she placed her Wayfinder in her lap and leaned back on her hands, tilting her face towards the sky. "Kairi…" she started, catching the red head's attention. "What kind of spell did Aqua cast on you?" She asked curiously, keeping her gaze to the heavens.

Kairi hummed in thought as she tapped her index finger against her chin. "She said something about the light within me, that when I'm in trouble my light will guide me to somebody else's." She answered thoughtfully. Mai stared at the girl with wide eyes, but before she could say anything she heard heavy footsteps.

Both girls switched their gazes to the stairs beside them, seeing a familiar blonde running up them; his eyes fixated on the brunette. Mai stuttered in surprise before a scowl crossed her face, causing Kairi to stare at her strangely. "Mai, who's that?" She asked as the blonde stopped at the top of the stairs, gasping for air as he kept his gaze on Mai.

The brunette picked up her Wayfinder and stood to her feet, glaring at the boy. "Nobody." She said before she looked down at the small red head. "Kairi, I think you should get home before you grandma starts to worry." She told her, but Kairi gasped at her words. "How do you know I live with my grandma?" She asked.

Mai quickly averted her gaze. "Th-that's not important." She said quickly. Kairi glanced up at her for a moment before she looked over at the blonde boy, blinking at him a few times before she walked over to him so she could go down the stairs.

As she passed by him Kairi couldn't help but glance up at the boy, taking note at how memorable his face was before she descended down the stairs, on her way home.

Ventus stood up straight and took a cautious step towards the brunette. "Mai," he started, but before he could say anything else Mai turned away from him and started toward the castle gate. Ventus ran after her. "Mai, please don't run away from me." He pleaded, grabbing a hold of her forearm, but Mai quickly pulled herself out of his grasp. "I have nothing to say to you." She spat, her eyes glued to the floor.

A solemn expression crossed over Ven's features. "Mai, you don't understand how sorry I –"

"No, I don't." Mai snapped, glaring up at him. The cold stare was enough to make Ventus back off. "But clearly you're not sorry enough otherwise you wouldn't have told me that you don't need me!" She exclaimed, her voice growing louder toward the end.

Ventus felt a sudden lump for in his throat, but he quickly swallowed it down. "But you don't understand; I _do_ need you! I need you more than anybody!" He exclaimed, but Mai merely scoffed. "It doesn't matter what you say, Ven, nothing can make me forgive you. I'm not that stupid." She spat before she turned away from him and walked through the gate and up the stairs.

Ventus took a step towards her. "I'm not trying to make to look stupid, Mai. What I said back there…it meant nothing – I was angry; I would've said anything. You would know that more than anybody!" He called after her, but when she ignored him he started after her. "Mai, if you weren't with me then I never would've made it to where we are now; I would be nothing!" He yelled, trying to get through to her.

At his words Mai paused in her footsteps, trying to block the tears from leaving her eyes. Her heart was aching painfully inside her chest, and she hated that somebody she adored so much made her feel that way. Mai turned on her heel, the tears that she tried to block falling down her cheeks as she glared daggers at the blonde, cutting him short in his steps. "Then prove it!" She yelled, catching them both off guard.

Mai shook her head. "If what you're saying is the truth then you wouldn't have a problem in proving it, would you." She dared viscously. Ventus was still shocked by her words, but he quickly shook it away. Many thoughts crossed his mind, but every idea he came up with just weren't enough.

Mai scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "See? You can't even prove it to me, can you?" She asked rhetorically before she turned on her heel and continued on her way up the stairs. Ventus shook his head, suddenly feeling nervous as he sped after the brunette.

When Ven was close enough he reached forward and grabbed Mai's gloved hand before he spun her around, not wasting a second before he quickly pressed his lips against hers, catching her off guard.

Mai stared at Ven's face with wide eyes, only to see his eyes closed and a petrified look on his face. She didn't know what to do, with just that simple touch her heart began to race and her stomach was doing summersaults. Ven's hand moved to rest on her hip, causing her heart rate to increase further and goose bumps ran across her skin. Her lips felt like fire, tingling from the sensation that he gave her.

A little too soon – although she would never admit it – Ventus pulled his lips away from hers, but kept their faces close together. His hot breath trickled across her mouth, causing shivers to run down her spine.

Ven's heart was beating against his ribcage so hard from nerves that he thought it would burst right out of his chest, and due to the fear inside him his breath was rather heavy and uneven. He looked up at Mai's eyes, seeing them as wide as plates – he bit the inside of his cheek, and before he could say anything he felt a sudden pain in his stomach causing him to fall to his knees and clutched at his stomach.

Mai stood there, staring down at Ventus with wide eyes and her fist where Ven's torso was merely a few seconds ago. She was stunned; she didn't know what to say or what to do – so she did the first thing that came to mind…

She punched him in the gut.

Ventus coughed, gasping for the air that was lost from Mai's attack before he glanced up at her. "A simple 'jackass' would've sufficed." He said before he pulled himself to his unsteady feet, leaning on Mai to keep him steady. The brunette stuttered, unable to find words to say.

Seeing the stunned face on Mai's face, Ventus couldn't help but smirk as he leaned his face close to hers again. "Did that prove how much you mean to me?" He asked. Mai still didn't respond, instead she glanced down at his rosy lips – they were soft, and that alone made Mai want them again.

Ventus caught sight at what Mai was looking at, causing his smirk to widen before he leaned forward, allowing his lips to softly graze against hers, setting his heart off in a race again as the hairs on his arms stood on end.

Mai quickly pushed him away. "Jackass!" She yelled, averting her gaze as Ventus went crashing down a few steps, stopping not too far away, he couldn't help but chuckle. Mai squinted one eye open, looking over at Ventus before she turned her face toward him and stared at him with two emerald orbs.

Mai reluctantly reached up and rested her fingers on her lips, feeling them still tingling from his touch. Hearing Ventus laugh, Mai glared up at him, although it wasn't viscous this time as she caught his cerulean gaze, but the look in his eyes caused her to sheepishly look away. "Y-You idiot." She mumbled.

Ventus grinned to himself and pulled himself to his feet, making sure he was steady before he held a hand out for the brunette. "Are we okay, now?" He asked, and although he didn't let it show on his face he was absolutely petrified. He understood that what he'd just done might've just jeopardised their friendship forever, and Mai might never get over it; but he went out on a limb – Mai wanted him to prove to her how much she meant to him, and he did.

He didn't even care if she didn't feel the same way; for months he was able to cope – in fact, he found that just being with her was enough for him, which was why he would do everything he could to stay by her side. She might not have realised his feelings, but something told him that she just figured it out; the look on her face told him that.

Ven's thoughts were cut short when he felt something warm in his hand. Looking up, he saw Mai standing in front of him, her hand in his and a dark blush on her face as she avoided his surprised gaze. But as Ven stared at her he couldn't help but notice the small smile on her lips, causing him to smile to himself.

Maybe Merlin's book unlocked Ven's inner strength to show Mai how he felt about her...

* * *

><p><strong>Ventus: O.o Please don't let Mai read this chapter *embarrassed*...<strong>

**...**

**...Holy crap, is it really my birthday?**

**Hehe, yeah ^-^ How you could forget something like that seizes to surprise me.**

**Ventus: Oh…Well, do I get a party?**

**I'm way ahead of you ;P**

**Mai, Terra, Aqua: *Jumps out of nowhere* HAPPY BIRTHDAY VENTUS!**

**Ventus: Ah! *falls over* Ow…**

**Mai: Aw, poor Venny. I hope that hasn't ruined your day :'(**

**Ventus: No, no. I'm fine…I just didn't expect it, that's all X)**

**Aqua: Good, because we've all brought you cake and presents! *pulls cake out from behind her back***

**Ventus: Wow, is that vanilla frosting?**

**Terra: Well, we all know how much you love vanilla. ;D Happy birthday, man. Here; I got you something * Pulls out a wrapped present***

**Ven: really, for me? *Takes box* You really shouldn't have : )**

**Mai: Nonsense. We all got you something, even Key ^-^**

**Ven: R-Really?**

**Hey, I'm not heartless, y'know. I'm lovely…beside the fact that I tend to beat up my guys friends – but that's not the point!**

**Everybody: …**

**Terra: She's hit me plenty of times.**

**Kura: Me too, and she even got me in the groin :-(**

**Lea: And me!**

**Well…don't annoy me, then and you won't get hurt!**

**Terra: Is that what you say to your friends?**

**Yes, actually, it is. Besides –**

**Mai: CAN WE PLEASE GET BACK TO THE PARTY? It's Ven's special day.**

**Aqua: Oh, right. Well, go on, Ven, open your presents.**

**Ven: Heh, okay. *Tears open box* Wha -…TERRA! *Quickly closes box* That's completely inappropriate!**

**Terra: What? I thought you might need them; y'know, you're sixteen now and you might run into some hot girl and do the –**

**Ventus: TERRA!**

**Aqua: *Puts down cake and slaps Terra around the head with her KeyBlade* You remember how he reacted when you gave him the 'birds and bees' talk, it scared the freaking god damn life outta him!**

**Terra: What? He might change his mind when he meets a hot girl and does the –**

**Ven and Aqua: TERRA!**

**Terra: Whatever -,-''**

**Mai: What's the 'birds and bees' talk?**

**Terra:…Aqua, I thought we agreed to tell them both at the same time; I agreed to tell Ven and you to tell Mai. *Glares***

**Aqua: A-ah, no way! She looks too innocent and I didn't wanna ruin it. Besides she's too cute and I know she can be responsible when she has to.**

**Kura: Aqua…you might wanna read this story a few chapters back. *Hands Aqua a laptop with Birth By Sleep Ch. 4***

**Aqua: Huh? *Quickly reads a bit of the chapter* O.O**

…

…

…**KURA! YOU TOOK HER PURITY! *Chases Kura***

**Kura: Fuck. *Runs out of rooms, Aqua chasing after"**

**Ven: Wait, what? *Walks over to laptop***

**Mai: I-It's nothing! *Quickly closes laptop lid and throws it out of a nearby window***

**MAI! That was my new laptop!**

**Mai: Who cares, if you're still able to write all this down then you don't need it!**

…**Touché.**

**Mai: ^-^**

**Aqua: *Walks into room, blood on her knuckles* Sigh, that felt good. *Shakes hand.* Well, Ven, here's my gift. *Hands Ventus a colourful box***

**Ventus: Do I wanna open this?**

**Aqua: Don't worry, it's nothing 'scary' *Glares at Terra***

**Ven: O-Oh, okay then. *Takes box and opens lid* FREE TICKETS TO DISNEY LAND, FLORIDA? AQUA, I LOVE YOU! *glomps Aqua***

**Aqua: ^-^ Hehe, I knew you would like it**

**Okay, my present next! *Hands Ventus a box***

**Ven: Alright :D *Opens box and pulls out present***

***cricket chirp***

**Ventus:…will everybody stop getting me rude things? *Throws magazines back inside box***

**What? It's better than what Terra got you.**

**Ven: No its not, I don't even have mags like that back home, I'm not frustrated for Christ's sake!**

**Yeah~ you just keep telling yourself that.**

**Ventus: I'm not!**

**Kura: He is.**

**Ven: What? And how the hell would you know?**

**Kura: Ventus…are you aware of the bond we share…?**

**Ven:…IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY WE'VE SLEPT TOGETHER!**

**VEN, SHUT UP! You're girlish scream is getting annoying -,-**

**Ven: BUT -…but I'm not, and nobody believes me. What the hell are you even talking about, Kura? I'm not frustrated, expecially not sexual –**

**Kura: *pulls out magazine and flips to random page* tell me that don't make you wanna –**

**Ven: *snatches magazine* Kura, stop it. I'm not like you, I don't take every change I get to…'relieve' myself.**

**Terra: But there was that one time when I walked into your room and there was some…'stuff' on your sheets.**

**Can we please stop talking about Ventus doing…his thing. It's giving Mai a nosebleed**

**Everybody: *looks at Mai***

**Mai: *with a blood stained tissue held against her nose* I-I'm okay.**

**Aqua: Mai, do you even know what they're talking about?**

**Mai:…Unfortunately.**

**Ven: O.O U-Uh…**

**Mai: Um, well; I guess now it's my turn to give Ven his present…I already gave you your present in Radiant garden, though, so I guess…*wipes away bloody nose and kisses Ven's cheek, blushing***

**Ven: *Blushing* O.O U-Uh, th-thank you, Mai : )**

**Everyone *Except Ven, Mai and Kura*: Awww ^0^**

**Kura: Bleugh!**

**Ventus: *glares***

**Chill, guys. Let's not ruin Ven's special day.**

**Ven: I think it's already ruined by everybody talking about my happy time.**

**Kura: So you DO do it!**

**Heh, you said 'do do' X3**

**Mai: Oh, I thought I would've made it a little better : (**

**Ven: Y-You did!**

**Terra: Either way, Aqua; you still hafta tell Mai about the 'birds and bees'.**

**Aqua: Oh, but I don't wanna.**

**Terra: Well, I **_**can't **_**do it; I'm a guy!**

**Ventus: I'll do it?**

**Kura: Like hell, you'll just keep stuttering like the Loser you are.**

**Ventus: W-will not!**

**Kura: Then I dare you to say *Whispers in Ven's ear* To Mai without blushing or stuttering.**

**Ven: O-Okay. I can do that *Walks over to Mai* Mai.**

**Mai: Yeah?**

**Ventus: Uh…Se…*Sigh***

**Kura: See, told ya he couldn't do it.**

**Ventus: SEX!**

…**Pfft, hahahaha XD**

**Mai: O.o what do you wanna know about it?**

**That's hila – wait, what?**

**Mai: I asked him what he wants to know about it.**

**Aqua: And how do you even know what it is?**

**Mai: Kura told me ^-^**

**Terra:…you did **_**WHAT**_**?**

**Kura: XD I regret noth –**

**Terra: *Falcon punch***

**Kura: *Gets critical hit* ow…**

…**Um…Well, this has got to be the strangest birthday I've ever been involved in O.o **

…

…

…**Welp, I guess we'll see you guys later. And don't fret, the more the merrier, if you wanna get involved in this mess of a party just come and join in!**

**Ven: Well, it's kinda rude to ask, but I guess it's just nice to have more people *Blushes***

**Aqua: Well, I don't think anybody can give you a better present than Mai ;D**

**Ventus and Mai: *blushes***

**Aw, bless your cotton socks ^-^ Okay, we'll see you guys in the next chapter. And if you wanna wish Ven a happy B-day don't feel shy.**

**Everybody *Except Ven*: HAPPY SWEET SIXTEEN VENTUS! *Party poppers go off, birthday banners appear out of nowhere.***

**Aqua: Who wants cake?**

**Me, I do!**

**Terra: Yeah, definitely!**

**Mai: Ven?**

**Ventus: Yeah?**

**Mai: Um…*checks nobodies watching* Happy birthday. *leans up and kisses Ven's lips***

**Ventus: O.O…**

…

…**X3 I like birthdays XXX**


	10. Chapter 10: Work hard, play harder

Chapter 10: Work hard, play harder

**Author's note:**

**Heyy guys, looks like we're at the same spot…in my living room XD So anyway, I got Mai, Aqua, Terra and Ventus here. The reason Kura isn't here today is that he and Ven had a fight in my kitchen – Mai went to break it up but ended up breaking Kura's nose, and in rage he broke all of my mum's dishes and refused to pick them up, so Ven and Terra had to do it XD**

**Ven: He started the damned fight, anyway. I still don't get why I was yelled at – I got punched! *pointing at his black eye***

**Terra: And I still don't get why we had to pick them up -,-''**

**Well, would you big boys like to see us lovely young ladies get cut by pottery?**

**Ven and Terra:…guess not ¬.¬**

**Heh, good ^-^ Just be happy that my mum kicked him out and he's not allowed back here until he apologis-**

**Kura: HEYY BITCHES, I'M BACK!**

…**how the fu-**

**Kura: I just told your mom I was sorry and helped her clean the dishes.**

…**Who the hell are you and where is the real Kura? O.o**

**Kura: Ha XD Y'really think I'd even allow myself to get **_**cloned**_**? Let alone get kidnapped by 'im.**

…**Good point. Well, I'm not too sure I actually wanna question why you cleaned the dishes with my mum and apologised, other than…*glances at Mai***

**Mai:…what?**

**Nothing~ :P Anyway, I guess – Kura, if you wanna sit up on the sofa next to Terra so we can check the reviews from the last chapter.**

**Aqua: Yay! I wasn't here the last time ^-^**

**Terra: Yeah, me neither.**

…**Guttin'. So, let's start off with…**

**Kura: **Azura Soul Reaver**? Hey, check it; she's actually reviewed quite a few chapters.**

**Yeah, she has. And aww, this one's about you, Ven~ *tilts laptop screen to Ventus***

**Ventus:…huh, thanks. Which chapter was that for?**

***facepalm*#9.**

**Kura: *reaches over Terra and slaps Ven on the back of the head* Dumbass.**

**Ventus: *Glaring* Heyy!**

**Kura, stop it.**

**Kura: :-(…**

…

… **fine -,-**

**Mai: Oh, I missed chapter 9, what happened? *grabs laptop and starts searching for Ch. 9***

**Ventus: *grabs laptop* Y-You don't need to see it!**

**Mai:…Ven, why are you staring at me like a predator?**

**Kura: HAHA!**

**Ven: Wha-? I am not!**

***Takes laptop* can we please get on with this Author's note? At this rate we won't get anything done.**

**Everybody: *sigh* Okay.**

**Good. Thank you.**

**Ven: *sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck* Heh, yeah. And thanks, **Azura Soul Reaver**, I kinda find that I get the crap beaten outta me in the making of this story.**

**MAN UP!**

**Ven:…**

**Aqua: Aw, Ven. You don't get beat up. You just get…mistreated ^-^**

**Ven: Jeez, thanks -,-**

**TROLOLOL! So, Yeah. Thanks for all of your reviews, **Azura Soul Reaver**, we really appreciate them ^-^**

**Terra: Yeah…thanks…yeah.**

**...You're not the social type, are you? Anyway, onto the next one; **jkls39** :P Mistakes happen, you're right -,-**

…**LOL, heyy, check it Ven; she thought it was the best chapter ever ;P**

**Ventus: *blushing* D-Don't like at me like that!**

**;P Lol, who knows, Ven; you might actually need Terra's prese-**

**Ventus: *covering my mouth* No-No I don't!**

**Terra: Whoa, who did Ven kiss?**

**Ven: How did you-**

**Aqua: Was it that girl on the bus? Y'know, she was pretty cute.**

**Ventus: N-No it wasn't!**

**And can I say; she was only staring at Ven 'cause she actually knows him from KH…I know that because I kinda know her, too. Hrm, anyway; I know. I was searching for something with this kinda theme before I decided to write my story, but when I couldn't find anything I just thought 'why not? I can't find one, might as well do one myself' ^-^**

**I'm really glad that it's easily understood, 'cause sometimes I feel like the scene is going by too fast and it's really messy. I tried my best to tidy it up as much as I could in the last chapter, I'm just glad that it worked. I'm really sorry about the grammatical mistakes D: I kinda fail in my English classes…I blame the boys for talking to me -,- even if it's me that talks to them they will still be blamed!**

**But yeah, I'm trying to work on that ^-^ whether it be spelling or my sentences I do attempt at fixing them, I guess sometimes I just fail, or I accidently miss them :S I'll be sure to make this chapter reach that standard of my previous chapter, maybe better, if I can.**

**Okay, next up – we have a new reviewer; **Guest**. Why, thanks ^-^ I'm really glad that you like it and I hope you read my future chapters.**

**Okay guys, let's get on with this. I'll be looking forward to what you have to say about this chapter and hopefully it'll be good enough and I haven't let anybody down with it :D**

**Oh, and my mum has pre-ordered DREAM DROP DISTANCE FOR ME 8D! **** AND THE BEST PART IS THAT I DON'T EVEN HAVE A 3DS TO PLAY IT ON XD**

* * *

><p>Ventus walked ahead of Mai in the new, colourful world, leaving the brunette to trail behind in her thoughts - but Ven always made sure he could still hear her footsteps; if she was too far away for him to hear her walking then he would stop, glancing at her from over his shoulder until she reached his side and then would continue on his way.<p>

The ride on the Glider was probably the most silent fifteen minutes of his life. It was painfully quiet, but Ventus knew that Mai was feeling a little remote about what happened back at Radiant Garden, and if Ventus was being honest to himself he was feeling guilty for pulling something like that on her. If he hadn't done it right after they'd had a fight then maybe it would've been fine, but Ven began to regret it.

He always thought of his first kiss to be special, under the stars with water reflecting the light in its ripples; reflecting the moon's light onto the face of the girl he was about to kiss. All would be calm and they would be staring into each other's eyes as Ventus slowly drew his face closer to hers; his heart beating against his ribcage in excitement.

He wanted to feel her hot breath on his lips, their noses tenderly touching before he would gently graze his lips over hers before he would seal his first kiss - not after an argument in broad daylight on bright orange stairs!

Ventus sighed harshly; allowing a small growl of annoyance to heedlessly fall passed his lips.

Mai glanced up, hearing the strange sound coming from the taller – and older – blonde in front of her. She glanced down at his hands, seeing them swinging by his sides rather quickly and his hands balled up into fists, his steps were also small but quick whilst he firmly kept his gaze ahead.

Mai couldn't help but feel guilty; she knew that after Ventus kissed her he wanted her to kiss him back, but how could she when she was so upset with him? Surely he couldn't have expected her to turn around and confess some kind of unmistakeable love for him – Mai was so confused; she was too busy wondering on what Scrooge had said to him, too hurt by their argument and the words that Ven had said to her…she even allowed Kura to unwittingly plague her thoughts for a moment or two.

Besides, he caught her by surprise! It wasn't like she was annoyed by it; it wasn't exactly her first kiss, after all - but how would anybody else react if their best friend suddenly turned around and kissed them? Maybe she should've at least _tried _to make some kind of conversation during their ride on the Glider.

Too many thoughts plagued her mind and it was starting to give Mai a headache. She reached up and tenderly rubbed her temples in order to soothe the ache as she and Ventus walked into what looked like the town square; there was a colourful band stand in the centre and shops lined the square, also on the other side of the square there was a large gate, with a beautiful white castle on the other side.

Mai found herself lost within the castle's beauty as she came to stand beside Ventus after he'd stopped walking and glanced around.

"Tada!" An unfamiliar voice called out as a large blur of white and orange suddenly appeared in front of the teens, startling them. Mai inattentively reached out and grabbed Ven's sleeve before she flung herself behind him, causing the blonde to stutter unexpectedly.

"Wearin' the mask of peace and hope…" The large figure in front of Ventus started, causing him to look back over at it. The figure spun around, showing himself to be some kind of tall, overly-fat cat dressed up for Halloween, or something, "comes the fearless defender and hero of this town!" He cheered. "It is me – Captain Justice!" The cat said with a small ballet-like twirl.

Upon hearing the truly harmless introduction, Mai awkwardly stepped out from behind Ventus, tugging at her sleeves as she bowed her head in embarrassment. Ventus paid no attention to the brunette, and instead stuttered at 'Captain Justice'.

The large cat made his way over to the teens. "Young fellows! Do my hero-senses detect that you got troubles? Just say the word, and Captain Justice will make all your problems disappear!" He exclaimed, stopping in front of them.

Mai glanced up at his words in mild surprise. "A-Are you talking to us?" She asked sheepishly. Captain Justice nodded, a rough 'yep' passing his buck toothed mouth. Mai sighed. "We're just trying to-…" Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of why she and Ven were still scouring the world; now that she and Ventus had found Terra – and knew that he wasn't going to return home anytime soon - what was the actual point of continuing on their journey? Mai sighed deeply and shook her head. "Never mind." She said.

Captain Justice laughed. "Oh, don't be intimidated by my magnificence." He said, causing Mai to glance up at him with a small frown. "Excuse me?" She questioned, but the 'hero' simply ignored her words. "Go on and spit it out. Then…remember to vote Captain J." He added.

Ventus, seeing Mai beginning to glare at the cat, stepped forward. "Vote?" He asked before Mai burned the cat for being so ignorant. Captain Justice shook his head, glancing off to the side as he crossed his arm over his fat chest. "Oh! Well, uh, forget that." He told Ventus. "How can I help? That's the only reason I'm here." The cat exclaimed.

Ventus looked down at his feet and crossed his arms over his chest, humming in thought. He finally glanced up at Captain Justice. "I know! Tell me about your town." He suggested, scanning his cerulean eyes over the town square, and spotted a rather big – yet skinny – yellow dog walking around. "Everything's so festive. Is it always like this?" He asked curiously.

Captain Justice raised a brow at him. "Huh? That's it – nothin' else?" He questioned. "Well, the festivities are on account of the Dream Festival –" He said as he turned away from Ventus and started to walk away, "which is why I've made sure there's carnival stuff all over town." He said.

Ventus' eyes followed him. "Really, like what?" He asked, starting to get excited.

Captain J stopped in his steps at Ven's words and crossed his arms over his chest. "Ho ho, you gotta see it for yourself." He told Ven with a strange chuckle. "Wouldn't be much of a dream if I just told ya." He said.

Ventus nodded. "Right, thanks." He said.

Captain Justice turned around to face Ventus. "And kids, don't you go forgettin'…Captain Justice is the one who solved all your problems – that would be Justice with a J!" He quickly added.

Ventus chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, sure. I got it, Captain Justice." He said with a small smile before he turned to Mai, only to see her looking down at her clasped hands. His smile fell, feeling guilt building up in his stomach for making Mai feel like that. He let out a small sigh.

"Aww, phooey! This stinks!" A small high pitched voiced cried out from the small stage in the town square. Ventus looked over to the stage, seeing three small ducks; one dressed in red, the other in blue, and then one in green – there was also a small mouse with them, it appeared to be a girl because she was dressed in a pink ball-grown and had a small tiara sitting on her head between her large circular ears. "Now we can't open the ice cream shop!" One of the ducks yelled in annoyance.

Captain Justice glanced over at the ducks, seeing them all standing around some kind of colourful machine. Captain Justice took off towards them. "Trouble? Rescue is on the way!" He exclaimed as he ran over to them.

Ventus stood there and crossed his arms over his chest. "A festival, huh?" He questioned with a look of mild excitement on his features.

A small nudge on his arm caused Ventus to glance over his shoulder, seeing Mai looking up at him. "Maybe we could go on some of the rides?" She suggested with a small shrug. Ventus stared at her for a moment before a smile spread across his lips and gave a firm nod. Mai smiled up at him with a breathy giggle. "Maybe we can make some new friends, too." She said.

Ventus chuckled at her and nodded again before he looked over at the small ducks and posh-looking mouse. "Definitely - why don't we see what's going on?" He asked, gesturing over at the animals as he looked back at Mai. The brunette nodded before she and Ven started for the animals.

When they reached them, Captain Justice turned to face them. "Well, if it ain't the last kids Captain Justice saved." The cat boasted. "'Fraid you'll have to get in line. I'm working on another catastrophe here for these fellahs – Huey, Dewey, and Louie, my good friends." He said; the ducks turning to the teens at the sound of their names.

At his words, the small mouse glanced up at Captain J with a small frown. "Now, I'd hardly call it a catastrophe." She said in such a sweet voice, despite the frown on her face.

The duck in red – Huey – jumped where he stood. "Yeah, all we were tryin' to do was make our own special recipe ice cream." He clarified.

The duck in blue – Dewey – nodded in agreement. "And we had a little trouble." He added.

The last duck in green – Louie – followed. "Come on, it's not really that big a deal." He claimed, but Captain J disagreed. "I'm 100% positive you're the victims of sabotage!" He exclaimed in such confidence.

Dewey shook his head in annoyance. "Not even close! Quit makin' stuff up." He quaked bitterly. Louie jumped around to face the colourful machine behind them all. "It's just the ice cream machine." He said.

Huey and the others glanced over at the machine as well. "Unca Scrooge left it for us…" The duck clad in red started, "but we can't figure out how it works 'cause it's so complicated." He specified.

Louie glanced over at the higher class mouse with a solemn expression on his feathery face. "Aw, we're sorry, Queen Minnie. We wanted you to be the first to try our special recipe ice cream." He said sorrowfully.

Mai and Ventus stuttered; now understanding why the mouse was dressed so nicely. The aforementioned animal turned her attention to the ducks, a sweet smile on her lips. "Oh boys, it was very sweet of you to think of me." She said, trying to raise their spirits, but Louie simply bowed his head. "We tried." He told the Queen.

Captain Justice stomped his large foot on the ground to gain attention. "Say no more. Leave it to me – one bowl of ice cream comin' right up!" He exclaimed, but the ducks just glared at him. "You're just gonna make a mess. Leave it alone, Pete!" Dewey yelled at him.

'Pete' growled. "That's Captain Justice!" He corrected, stomping his foot in a tantrum. The ducks continued to glare daggers at him, but remained silent as Captain J made his way over to the machine and started pressing some random buttons.

Mai and Ventus watched curiously as the machine began to shake to life before many different flavours of ice cream started shooting out of the nozzle of the machine and onto the stage in front of it. Captain Justice turned to the shorter animals with a smug look on his face. "What did I tell ya-" He was cut off by the machine making a strange sound, causing everybody to look at it.

The machine began to rattle and shake as ice cream started shooting out of the nozzle uncontrollably, causing Captain J to stutter as he tried to settle it down. Seeing a large red button on the side, the cat quickly pressed it carelessly, not knowing what it did.

The button began to glow before the machine itself began to spin, still shooting ice cream and causing it to fly in different directions. Ventus gasped as the machine turned to face him, but didn't have enough time to move out of the way before a scoop of ice cream shot out towards him, hitting him square in the face with the cold treat.

Mai glanced at Ven with wide eyes and quickly covered her mouth with her palm to hide her laughs, but her efforts were proven futile when she burst into hysterics as the ice cream melted from Ven's face, showing his purely shocked face before he let out a shudder. "Ah, crap, that's cold." He complained in a high pitched voice as the melted ice cream dripped off his chin.

Mai couldn't help but laugh at his reaction, causing him to glance at her, wiping the frozen treat out of his eyes to see her clearer. Her glared at her, but his face twisted to that of amusement when a scoop of ice cream shot out and hit Mai in the side of her head, ceasing her giggles almost immediately.

Ventus bit down on his tongue to keep his laughs back, but he couldn't hold them for long and burst into chuckles, leaning forward and clutching his stomach. Mai glanced down at him, a painfully amused look on her face before she wiped the ice cream off the side of her face and reached over, smearing the chocolate substance into Ventus' jacket.

The blonde gasped; jumping up and glanced down at his jacket, seeing it stained brown. He playfully glared up at Mai, only to see a toothy grin playing on her lips as she shook her ice cream covered hand. At the sight of her smile, Ventus couldn't help but chuckle; he gripped Mai by the shoulders and quickly leaned his face towards hers, startling Mai as she gasped – but a small scream emitted from her lips when Ventus rubbed his vanilla cheek against the ice cream free side of Mai's face.

The green eyed beauty laughed as she tried to push him away, but lost the strength to when she laughed.

Captain Justice growled in annoyance. "Agh, this machine is busted!" He exclaimed, pounding his large fists onto the colourful device in pure irritation. "It just needs a good poundin'…" He trailed off as he punched down on the machine.

The teens glanced up, seeing the frozen treats scattered all over the stage and all of the animals now covered in different flavours of ice cream, much like themselves. Minnie glared at Pete angrily. "It does not!" She snapped; her fists clenched.

Ventus and Mai exchanged a quick glance, and by the look the blonde was giving her she knew what he was thinking; causing her to shrug lazily in agreement. The blonde sent Mai a toothy grin before he looked down at the shorter animals. "Hey, do you think we could give it a shot?" He asked, earning their attention.

Captain Justice glanced over at the teens with a heavy scoff. "No, if Captain Justice can't fix it, there ain't nothin' you can do, kid." He said, aiming his words at Ventus.

Mai crossed her arms over her chest, sending Captain J a light sneer as she strode over to him, allowing her hips to sway with each slow step as she came to stand in front of the large cat; causing him to look down at her. Mai glanced up to meet his gaze. "Listen, Captain J; nobody calls Ventus a kid, but me." She said bluntly, standing on her tip toes to make herself appear taller, but against the cat's height it made no difference.

Ventus saw the scowl twisting Captain J's face and quickly swooned in, snaking his arm around Mai's shoulders. "She's right," he said and pointed to his chest with his thumb, "unless you got a licence then you can't call me anything of the sort." He said with a wide, cheeky grin.

Ventus could see the cat's shoulders beginning to shake and steam coming from his ears; he took that as his cue to end the conversation; he turned toward the ducks and mouse, pulling Mai around with him without releasing her. "Besides, even if we can't make a difference, then there would be no harm in trying." He said with a small shrug, aiming his words at the ice cream machine.

Huey nodded, jumping on the spot. "Yeah! Better you than him." He exclaimed with a grin before he walked over to the teens as he pulled a leaflet out of the big pocket in his shirt. "Here ya go. These are the instructions for the machine." He said, handing Ventus the paper.

The blonde reached down and took the paper, briefly looking over the instructions before he gave a firm nod, passing the paper to Mai before he ran around Captain Justice and jumped into the seat on the machine. "I call dibs on the machine!" He exclaimed, earning a small grown from Mai.

The brunette turned around and glared at the blonde. "No fair, I didn't get to see the instructions!" She yelled, carelessly dropping the instructions before she ran around Captain J as well and jumped up onto the seat. "Budge over." She said, and in return Ventus let out a small chuckle before he scooted over in the normal sized seat, not leaving much room for the brunette.

Mai tried to squish her butt in the small gap between Ven and the edge of the chair, but the furthest she got was half of her butt on Ven's legs and the rest hovering in the gap. The blonde laughed and placed his hands on Mai's hips. "Just sit like this." He exclaimed, shifting Mai to sit perfectly in his lap and tilted her torso to the right so he could see the stage.

Mai felt her face beginning to heat up as she tilted her head towards Ven, seeing his own cheeks stained a little pink - but she quickly shook it away and switched her gaze to the stage, seeing the three little ducks readying themselves on the stage in a line with empty ice cream cones in their hands; Huey standing on a small podium between his brothers.

Ventus leaned toward the left so he could see the stage clearer. "I'll manage the ice cream shooting; you do the nozzle!" He exclaimed in excitement, trying to shake away his rapidly beating heart as he positioned his fingers on the triggers.

Mai nodded and clutched the joystick with both hands; moving it around in a circle she saw that the nozzle in front of them moved as well.

Huey jumped with excitement. "You guys ready?" He called. Both teens exchanged a quick glance before they nodded at the ducks, and at that moment a light, childish tune began to blare out of the speakers hanging from either side of the stage.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, the song came to an end and left the teens in a laughing heap in the chair; what they had to do was watch the ducks clap in a certain order and to the beat of the song and then shoot ice cream at the correct duck at the correct time to the right beat. The pair found it a little difficult at first – resulting in hitting the brothers in their faces with ice cream a few times – but they soon got the hang of it and even found it to be a competition between each other somehow.<p>

Mai leaned back against Ventus, resting her head against his shoulder as she giggled whilst Ventus rested his arms on her and rested his head against Mai's, feeling his stomach beginning to ache with laughs. Huey stepped down from the podium and off the stage; his ice cream still in his hand before he gave it to Minnie. "Here y'are, Queen Minnie." He said with a wide smile as his brothers came to stand beside him.

Minnie happily took the treat with a polite 'thank you' before she bit into the ice cream, and almost immediately a pleasant hum came from her small body. "Mmm, how yummy." She mused happily before she took another bite, savouring its taste. "What a wonderful treat!" She exclaimed happily.

Mai quickly regained herself before she pushed herself off Ven's lap and jumped onto the ground. "C'mon then, kiddo," she breathed heavily, trying to regain her breath before she turned toward Queen Minnie, who was happily enjoying her ice cream.

Ventus leapt off the chair, landing firmly on his feet beside Mai before the pair walked over to Minnie – who'd just finished her small treat. She smiled at them. "I don't think I've ever had such delicious ice cream. Thank you-" She bowed, but quickly cut herself short when she realised that she didn't know the teens' names. "Uh, oh, oh dear…"

Ventus stuttered. "Oh, Ventus. Just Ven is fine." He introduced before both him and Queen Minnie turned to face the brunette.

Mai smiled down at the Queen. "Mai-Lin, but I prefer Mai." She said.

At her words Minnie gawked. "Oh, my…I thought I could see some of her in you." She said before her small face broke out into a smile – confusing the duo. Minnie looked over at the blonde. "Well, thank you, Ventus." She said before glancing over at the confused green eyed girl. "Mai."

Huey jumped over to them whilst his brothers inspected the machine. "Way to go, guys!" He exclaimed. Louie gawked. "Oh, I see…" He mused, flicking a switch back and forth. "We had to push this thingamajig the other way." The duck explained.

Dewey had an idea suddenly pop into his head, causing him to jump. "Hey, I just got an idea!" He announced, catching his brothers' attention. "We could let our customers make up their own favourite flavours of ice cream!" He suggested.

"Not with that machine!" Captain Justice butted in, causing Dewey and Louie to glare at him before they jumped off the machine as the cat walked over to the device, stopping in front of it. "Well…those brats mighta got it to work this one time. But junk like that needs to get junked!" He exclaimed, preparing himself to jump the 'broken' machine.

Minnie glared at him. "Don't you dare, Pete!" She yelled angrily, catching the cat's attention. Meeting his gaze, Ventus sunk down into his fighting position, showing 'Pete' that he would use force if he had to, earning a strange glance from Mai.

Captain Justice growled, crossing his arms over his fat chest like a child. "Fine. But Captain Justice will return!" He exclaimed before he turned on his heel, running off in some random direction.

Ventus stood up straight, watching after the cat before he turned to Minnie and the ducks. "About 'Captain Justice' – you said his name is Pete?" He questioned.

Huey nodded. "Yeah, he's the biggest trouble maker in town!" He warned, a small snarl pulling at his bill at the thought of the cat.

Dewey nodded in agreement. "I bet he's just callin' himself Captain Justice 'cause he wants to win the Million Dreams Award." He added.

Mai raised a chocolate brow at Dewey's words. "What's the Million Dreams Award?" She asked curiously, pulling her legendary thinking pose – causing Ventus to smile.

Minnie stepped forward to explain. "That's one of the Dream Festival events. Everyone votes for who they think is the town's most exemplary citizen." She answered with her usual sweet smile.

Ventus nodded in understanding and crossed his arms over his chest. "I get it. So that's what he meant by 'vote'." He thought aloud.

Louie nodded. "And if ya win the award, ya get a really cool prize!" He added, but Minnie couldn't help but giggle at his words. "Oh, it's just a small token, nothing elaborate." She corrected modestly as she turned away from everybody's gaze. "The event is supposed to help us appreciate how much we all look out for each other every day. That's the spirit of the award." She explained.

Ventus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, that sounds nice enough…" He mused, smiling over at Mai, who happily returned the gesture.

"Pete just wants to get his grubby hands on the prize." Huey accused. Dewey joined in, "and he knows that nobody's gonna vote for him if he puts his own name on the ballot!" He added.

"But nobody's fooled!" Louie exclaimed. His brothers agreed, tilting their heads to the side playfully before they burst out laughing.

Mai giggled, contaminated by the duck's laughter before she remembered something. "Wait, isn't there carnival rides around?" She asked Queen Minnie.

The animal in question turned to Mai with a smile. "Why, of course." She answered.

Mai felt a toothy grin pulling at her lips before she turned to Ven, nudging his ribs with her elbow to catch his attention. "How much do you wanna bet they have go-karts?" She asked, and she could practically see her words sinking into Ven's system by how large his grin got.

* * *

><p>Mai laughed, her hair bellowing in the wind as the hot air slapped against her face from the sped she was going in her little aeroplane on the race track. Seeing something moving in her rear view mirror Mai looked over at the reflected glass and saw Ventus riding on his Glider, catching up to her.<p>

She could see the grin on his lips, which only made her laugh harder as she tilted her steering wheel to the left, cutting Ventus off so that he couldn't over take her and win the race.

The blonde let out a light chuckle and titled to the right and hit the boost, coming up beside Mai almost immediately. "Having fun!" He called over the wind and the sound of the engine coming from Mai's aeroplane.

The brunette nodded, briefly glancing over at Ventus before she looked out to the bend coming up. "Yeah!" She screamed as she turned the steering wheel as far as it would go to pass the bend without a hitch, but Ventus cut into the shorter lane and overtook Mai, and seeing the finish line up ahead he quickly hit the boost - but it failed to work.

Mai laughed as she came up beside him. "You only get three boosts a game; looks like you used all of yours!" She yelled. Ventus cried out, repeatedly hitting the boost button in hopes that it would work one last time.

Mai caught sight of his frantic actions and felt a wicked smirk tugging at her lips before she reached forward, allowing her finger to hover over the big red, flashing button that had the words 'BOOST' on it.

She glanced over at Ventus one last time before she pushed down on it, feeling her engines rumble violently beneath her before a surge of energy burst through the exhaust pipe, sending her forward and giving Mai a clean win, allowing her to cheer as she relaxed her foot on the acceleration pedal.

Ventus groaned; crossing over the finish line merely seconds later. He hid his face in his palms, but parted his fingers so that he could see the pure look of triumph on Mai's face.

* * *

><p><em><span>Three and a half hours later…<span>_

Mai and Ventus walked into the town Square, Mai having a Minnie Mouse hat on her head, and a large brown teddy bear under her arm as she nibbled into her sky blue candyfloss. Ventus came up beside her with a fairly similar hat, only it didn't have the big red bow between the ears - like on Mai's – and a large bag of small teddies in his hand whilst he ate the last of his own candy floss.

The pair had gone around the whole town, checking out every ride they came across and participating in all of the games - snacking up on food all the way, of course.

Ventus glanced over at Huey, Dewey, and Louie's ice cream parlour, seeing lots of people sitting on their own little tables outside of it – almost like a food court, but ice cream. The blonde turned to Mai, only to see her too enticed in her cotton candy to notice anything around her. Ventus simply rolled his eyes and nudged her with his elbow, earning her attention. "Why don't we get some ice cream and relax?" He suggested with a small shrug.

Mai glanced over at the ice cream parlour, spotting an unoccupied table she looked up at Ven with a nod. "Alright, kiddo - I could do with a break." She answered in a strained voice as she pushed her tense chest out, stretching her torso.

Ventus grinned in delight before he began to skip over to the spare table, earning a light giggle from Mai as she trudged behind, making sure that her large teddy didn't pick up dust from the floor as she went.

Ventus sat down in his new chair lazily and sunk into the seat. "Ugh, my legs are _killing _me!" He complained with a heavy groan as he leaned his head back, allowing the warm Sun to heat up his face. "Do you want me to go and get you an ice-cream?" He asked, glancing down at Mai, his eyes squinted to block out the excess light.

Mai opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything all of the colourful characters around the pair began to cheer, getting up from their seats and heading over to the stage where Mai and Ven had played with the ice-cream machine.

Mai glanced over, seeing Queen Minnie standing on the stage – there was another person standing next to her; it was a duck wearing a lilac purple ball grown, she also had a little tiara atop her head. Queen Minnie smiled warmly as everybody gathered around the stage. "Hello, everyone, and thank you for waiting." She announced.

Mai glanced over at the blonde with a raised brow – Ventus answered her silent question with a shrug. "C'mon, let's check it out." He said, placing all of the prizes that he'd won onto the table before he stood up, waiting for Mai to do the same.

The brunette nodded and placed her own things on the table – hoping that nobody would steal their stuff whilst they were away from the table – and followed Ventus into the crowd of people that surrounded the stage.

Ventus glanced back at Mai as he walked; only to see her being bumped around in the crowd. He reached back and clasped her small hand within his, earning her gaze for a brief moment before he turned and started for the front of the stage.

Once they were settled in a fairly spacious spot – spacious still being pressed against strangers, but not to the point where they could be squished to death – they glanced around, trying to listen in on what all of the people were mumbling about, but due to the volume of their words and so many different voices it was hard to hear what anybody was saying.

Queen Minnie raised both of her hands without saying a word, and was surprisingly able to quieten down the crowd. When she was happy with the silence she rested her hands by her sides. "Now, it's time to begin the main event of our Dream Festival – the Million Dreams Award presentation." She explained.

Mai nodded in understanding. "Oh, so that's why everybody's so worked up." She mumbled to the blonde beside her and finally pulled her hand out of his.

Ven nodded in agreement, but remained silent as the duck in the purple ball grown beside Minnie handed her an white envelope. The mouse gratefully took the paper and gently ripped it open, pulling out a smaller piece of paper inside and looked over it. "Oh, how very exciting!" She exclaimed in surprise. "This year we have multiple winners. The Million Dreams Award goes to…" her voice trailed off, catching the suspense and stretching it as far as she could – and with a bright smile she managed to catch Ven's gaze within the crown, "Ventus, Aqua, and Terra. All three of you!" She exclaimed.

At the sound of the blonde's name, both teens gasped silently in shock. Mai looked over at the blonde with wide eyes, only to see him staring straight back at her with an equal expression. The crowd began to cheer, and those who recognised Ventus – much like the duck trio and the carnival game owners that saw Ven, patted him on the back.

Ven's face broke out into a large grin. "When were Aqua and Terra here?" He asked. Mai shrugged, her eyes scanning the crowd for any sight of their familiar friends, but all she saw were colourful characters that resided in Disney Town. Mai continued to look around, but her eyes soon landed on a head of ebony black hair that was spiked into every direction – but even though it was only the top of the head, Mai gasped upon recognising the hair.

"Whaddaya mean!" A familiar voice yelled out, causing Mai to look back over at the stage for a brief second; seeing none other than Captain Justice pushing passed everybody in the crowd and charging toward the stage.

Mai quickly shook it off and looked back over her shoulder, trying to find the familiar head of spiky hair, but she couldn't see any sign of him; causing her shoulders to slump as she solemnly switched her gaze back to the stage.

Captain Justice skipped the steps of the stage and jumped straight onto the platform, stopping right in front of Minnie and her duck friend. "There's gotta be a mistake. Everybody voted for Captain Justice. I made sure!" Captain Justice yelled before he turned toward the crowd. "Now, go on, tell her!" He exclaimed, but the amusing part was that everybody stayed silent – to the point where crickets could be heard chirping in the background and a tumbleweed rolled on by.

Captain Justice growled, his shoulders beginning to shake in anger before his face fell, punching his own fist as an idea popped into his head. "Better try the other one…" He mumbled; but due to the microphones on the stage his voice could be heard throughout the entire crowd. Captain J turned and ran off stage, causing everybody to question him before he ran back out, only this time he was dressed in a dark purple outfit. "The rogue racer, Captain Dark!" He announced, but everybody simply ignored him and turned away, starting their own conversations.

Minnie glared at the large cat. "Pete, we counted the votes very carefully. Ventus, Aqua, and Terra won." She established before she allowed her face to soften. "Oh, Pete, I think you tried to do something good, but you were doing it for the wrong reasons, and you went about it the wrong way." She said. "Still, a couple of citizens must have thought you had goodness in you, because you actually got a few votes." Queen Minnie smiled warmly at him as the cat turned to face her. "They knew you were looking out for them."

Pete took a moment to take in the mouse's words before he scoffed. "Big whoop! I don't need their lousy votes. Just cough up my prize!" He demanded selfishly.

Minnie growled. "Pete!" She snapped, startling the crowd as well as the aforementioned animal. "They voted for you because they believe in you and care about you. How could you look down on that?" She questioned in disgust. "I've tried to forgive a lot of things you've done, but this is too much! Now you've finally crossed the line." Minnie said angrily.

Pete simply rolled his eyes carelessly. "Like that matters to me. Besides, what are you gonna do about it?" He mocked.

Minnie smirked devilishly as she turned towards the crowd. "Ha! I'm gonna let you cool off for a while." She retorted smugly. "Guards!" She called.

At her yell, six brooms came from behind the curtains of the stage; they had arms on their sides and walked on their bristles. They made their way over to Pete, and - with unbelievable strength – managed to pick him up onto his back before they started for back stage, simply ignoring Pete's complaints as he was carried out of sight.

Minnie smiled in solace, switching her gaze to the citizens of Disney Town. "Now, shall we continue the ceremony?" She asked rhetorically, catching everybody's attention. "Would the three winners; Ventus, Aqua, and Terra, please come up and join me on the stage?" She said politely, almost as if that fiasco with Pete seconds ago had never happened.

Ven and Mai exchanged a quick glance before the blonde's face broke out into a smile. "Coming with me?" He asked, clasping Mai's hand.

The brunette blinked at Ven for a second before she shook her head, a timid smile on her lips. "N-No way." She declined, trying to free her hand – but Ventus tightened his grip, not allowing her to escape.

He chuckled. "C'mon, I can't see Terra or Aqua here and I don't wanna go up on my own." He pleaded, pouting his lips like a little child.

Mai stuttered, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. Ventus mouthed another plea, causing Mai to groan as she finally nodded. "Fine," she muttered.

Ven chuckled in delight before he started for the stage, pulling Mai closely behind him as he walked up the steps.

Minnie smiled upon seeing the brunette, but didn't pay any attention to the fact that Mai hadn't won anything and instead continued with the ceremony. She glanced out to the crowd, a small frown tugging at her brows. "Oh dear, it looks like our other two winners couldn't make it here to be with us today." She announced.

Ven's shoulders slumped as he slowly released Mai's hand. "They already left." He confirmed quietly to himself.

Minnie turned back to the teens with a hopeful smile. "Perhaps you would accept the award on their behalf." She suggested. "After all, you've been so kind to so many here at the Dream Festival." Minnie said with a sweet giggle. "So now, I hereby present the Million Dreams Award…as a token of how much you matter to us. Congratulations!" She exclaimed.

At her words, the entire crowd burst out into cheers, causing Ventus to shy away with a timid chuckle.

Minnie smiled, now holding a yellow bowl with a delicious looking ice cream inside it. "And as an extra treat, we've created something special – and ice cream flavour just for you." She said as she held up the strawberry ice cream; it had to chocolate circles on top of it, much like Minnie's ears, and it had two keys poking out of each end of it with various fruit surrounding it. "Double Crunch ice cream!" She exclaimed.

Ventus gave a light laugh before he reached down and took the bowl in both of his hands, noticing the small metal spoon in the bowl with the handle sticking out. He turned to Mai. "You wanna try it?" He asked.

Mai quickly shook her head with a dark blush. "N-No, I'm good." She exclaimed.

Ventus shrugged and glanced down at Minnie. "Thank you." He smiled, to which Minnie eagerly returned.

* * *

><p>Mai fell back into her seat and placed her things on the floor beside her, making room for Ven's new ice cream as he placed it on the flat surface before he took his seat. "Well, I was not expecting that." He said with a dry chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck.<p>

Mai couldn't help but laugh. "You're telling me! And did you really have to pull me up there?" She glared playfully.

Ventus simply rolled his eyes at her and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he looked down at the ice cream, inspecting it for a moment before he reached forward and picked up the long spoon. "Hm, I wonder what it tastes like." He mumbled, scooping up some of the frozen treat before he placed it into his mouth.

Mai watched with a raised brow as Ven's face softened and he let out a soft hum. "Mm, that's really good – and crunchy!" He exclaimed, the spoon still in his mouth before he pulled it out. "Want some?" He asked, holding out the cutlery.

Mai stuttered, reluctant for a moment before she reached out and took the spoon from Ven's hand, their skin touching for a brief moment and caused Mai's face to heat up. A small stutter fell passed her lips as she stuffed the spoon into the ice cream and quickly placed it into her mouth, trying to push away the taunting thought of the indirect kiss.

At the taste of the treat tickling on her taste buds, Mai found her mind cleared and her face fell. Ventus chuckled. "It's good, isn't it?" He asked rhetorically before he reached over and tugged the spoon out of Mai's mouth, causing her to groan in disapproval – seeing as she still had ice cream between her lips.

She quickly swallowed down the cold treat. "Hey, I wasn't finished!" She complained, snatching the spoon right back out of the blonde's hand with a cheeky grin.

Ventus was a little shocked by Mai's sudden action, but when he saw the toothy grin on her lips he couldn't help but chuckle. "So? We'll take it in turns, then." He suggested, reached out for the spoon, but the brunette held it back – out of his reach.

The green eyed girl giggled childishly. "Well, if you want some that badly…" her voice trailed off. Mai pushed Ven's hand away and scooped up some ice cream with the spoon before she held it up in front of her face, placing her finger on top of the spoon whilst keeping a firm hold of the handle with her other hand.

Ventus stuttered, unable to find enough time to move out of the way before Mai pulled at the top of the spoon and released it quickly, causing the ice cream to fly off and hit Ventus on the cheek – causing him to pause in his small movements.

Mai tried to keep her smile down, but failed when a light giggle passed by her lips, causing her to break out into small chuckles. Ventus sighed, crossing his arms and resting them on the table as he looked down at the ice cream on his cheek – but he could only see the outline of it due to him being unable to see it from someone else's eyes.

The blonde couldn't help but chuckle. "That was cruel," he commented before he stuck out his tongue and tried to lap up some of the sweet strawberry tasting ice cream with his candy pink tongue. Mai saw him trying to lick the ice cream on his cheek and couldn't help but laugh harder, causing her to drop the spoon on the table in front of them.

After a while Ventus simply gave up and wiped the frozen treat with his fingers, but then he unexpectedly popped his fingers into his mouth. Mai grinned. "Is it weird that I've actually forgotten about why we were awkward earlier?" She questioned allowed.

Ventus took his tasty fingers out of his mouth and picked up a napkin that was on the table, wiping his hand on it. "It was 'cause I kiss-" he quickly cut himself off, glancing up at Mai with wide eyes before he shook his head. "I-I can't remember, either." He said quickly, trying to regain himself.

Upon remembering herself, Mai felt her face suddenly grow hot, and her heart rate increased. "Oh," was all she could say. The pair sat there in painful silence for what felt like a life time – even though it was only a few minutes – before Mai suddenly felt something familiar in her lower region, causing her eyes to widen. "Shit." She muttered, catching Ven's attention.

The blonde glanced up at her in alarm. "What?" He asked.

Mai shook her head and pushed her chair out from under the table and stood up, reaching her hand out to Ventus. "Nothing, just give me my Moogle Crystal. Quick." She demanded, not wanting to waste another second.

Ventus raised a brow at her. "Wha-" He quickly cut his voice off when Mai sent him a quick, yet cold, glare. The blonde stuttered as he quickly shrugged his back pack off his shoulders and placed it into his lap, rummaging around its contents in search of the familiar Crystal.

Only a few seconds later did Ven pull the jewel out of his bag, and Mai quickly snatched it out of his hand and ran into the ice cream shop without a word. Ventus' eyes followed her like a magnet, a small frown etched on his soft face before he saw Mai make a turn for the bathroom inside the ice cream parlour.

He sat there for a second or two, weighing out his thoughts to find out what Mai had rushed off for, but a light bulb soon flickered on above his head as he figured it out. "Oh." He mumbled in realisation.

Ventus sat there awkwardly for a few moments, waiting silently for Mai to come back before his eyes landed on the delicious ice cream in front of him. Spotting the long spoon next to the bowl, Ventus stared at it for three blank seconds before he reached out for the spoon. "Better eat as much as I can before she gets back." He confirmed to himself before he began to stuff his face with the crunchy ice cream before Mai came back from the bathroom.

* * *

><p><strong>Hehe ^-^ well, I don't really have much to say for the Author's note now – just that I'm really sorry for the late update, and if the chapter sucks then I'm so sorry DX it's just that I've been drowned in stupid school stuff and I've been like the walking dead for a few weeks -,- no motivation at all.<strong>

**Mai: Well, I hope you get out of your slump soon.**

**Heh, I should ^-^ I FINISHED YEAR 10 TODAY 8D now I got an amazing six weeks off ****that time should allow me to update many new chapters! If I'm being honest I'd like to finish this story by 2013 – but that don't mean I'll start rushing this story, no sir ree ^-^ **

**In fact I think it should give me more motivation to update quicker…but knowing me the only thing that motivates me is Nutella 8D I love the stuff!**

**Ventus: I know -,- you smacked me with a fly swatter when you found out I had the last of the jar before.**

**I taxed it! Understand what that means, will you?**

**Kura:…don't you mean 'you called dibs'?**

**No! Because I'm British and that is what my family uses ^.^**

**Well, either way – I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'm sorry but Ven and Mai are just too cute for there to be so much tension that they barely say a word to each other D: I have to have them smutting, it's like a need!**

**Aqua: Am I the only one who gets scared when she does that? O.o**

**Terra: It makes me shiver -,-**

**Hehe, oh well ^-^ I'll see you guys next time when we visit the Olympus Coliseum :D and we'll be seeing some of a certain ebony haired male there ;P and no, I'm afraid I'm not talking about Kura. Right, ENOUGH OF THE SPOILERS! **

**I'LL SEE YOU ALL NEXT TIME!**


	11. Chapter 11: A hero isn't just muscle

**Author's note**

**I'm almost a year late…shoot me.**

**Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's get on with the reviews for the last chapter – first up on the list is the wonderful **Azura Soul Reaver**. Trust me, you're not the only one that dislikes Pete, he's just there…like a little fly that won't leave you alone XD I do thank you for reviewing on each chapter, and I'm happy that you're still reading.**

**Second on the list, is **jkls39 **^-^ Heyy , I'm glad you like the chapter – and I'm glad that I got the chapter to feel awkward, because I didn't want them to be back to normal after something like that :/ I actually think that I used an event that happened to me to write out the awkwardness, not a kiss, but a confession, more like O.o anyway…I find it quite hard to write up Disney Town and this chapter, because in the game there isn't much to it, really, it's just a really short story line in those two worlds, so I'm glad that it wasn't rushed ^-^ I really didn't want Mai to be Mary Sue when I was planning the story out, she does need a little help here and there, but I like how she doesn't always count on other people, besides, it wouldn't help her much in the future ;D oh, spoiler alerts! Sorry XD anyway, I knew that Mai wouldn't be the perfect character, and I wanted her to be more…I can't think of the word, but I really wanted the readers to connect with her, and they can't do that if she's all 'Mary-Sue', not a hair out of place and always so graceful, because nobody is really like that in real life. I like how Mai can sometimes blend into the background and stay in her own little bubble. Oh, I'm glad that it has given you an idea ^-^ and yeah, you might be a little surprised by that boy in this chapter. ;P**

**Nah D: I thought I'd sorted that out – ugh, well, I'll just have to be extremely careful in this chapter…I do try with my English, but I just find it too difficult – I know that might sound weird, but it is D: **

Mai groaned, the Sun's heat seeming to beat down on her frail body. She paused in her steps and glanced down at her attire; untying the belt around her waist before she shrugged off her kimono. She sighed sweetly, a relieved smile on her face. "Ah, that's better." She mused.

Ventus couldn't help but chuckle as he came to stand beside her; he had already taken his jacket off and was now wearing his thermo shirt and trousers – as well as his shoes. He held out his hand, catching Mai by surprise before she understood what he was gesturing to. She gave him her belt and kimono and watched him stuff them into his bag before he pulled it over his shoulders.

With that, the pair walked onwards, but found themselves walking down a wide set of stairs and into some kind of town square: tall walls boarded the area to block it from the desert outside, and to line the square were tall building – they looked almost like temples of some sort. "Where are we?" Mai asked tiredly whilst she fanned herself with her hands in order to cool her face.

Ventus shrugged, pausing in his steps to take a good look around. "No idea." He answered with a clueless expression on his face. Mai stopped in her steps and glanced over her shoulder to see the blonde, but something coming up behind Ventus caught her eye instead.

A short satyr ran behind Ventus and toward one of the temples, not even sparing the teens a glance, and hid by one of the corners outside of it, keeping its gaze to the wall. Ventus seemed to finally notice the creature that had ran behind him and glanced over at it. "Huh?" He questioned before glancing over at Mai with a raised brow.

The brunette could only shrug. "Don't look at me, kiddo." She said, starting toward the satyr, still fanning her face. Ventus watched after her for a moment before he sighed, finding no other option but to follow the shorter girl.

When the pair stood behind the half-man, half-goat person, they could hear him mumbling quietly to himself. "Oy, the kids relentless," he mumbled to himself with a heavy sigh.

Ventus stepped forward, "hey, whatcha doin' there?" He asked innocently, but both teens were startled when the satyr jumped a few feet in the air with a yell.

The creature quickly turned to them. "I told ya, I'm booked solid. N-O spells forget it!" He exclaimed bitterly. Ventus stuttered, causing the satyr to raise a brow at him. "Huh? And who in Halicarnassus are you?" He asked, confusion written on his ginger bearded face. "Can't you see I'm busy?" He questioned as if the blonde were stupid.

Mai scoffed. "How the hell did you expect us to know that?" She spat, a deep frown etching her face.

The short creature glanced over at her, opening his mouth to speak – but before he could say anything another unfamiliar voice cut him off, "hey, Phil! I'm all signed up! Phil!" A voice called out excitedly.

The teens glanced over in the direction of the voice, quickly catching sight of a boy running towards them. He looked a little older than Ventus, and a little taller, too – he had bright orange hair that curled up on his head with bright, sky blue eyes and he wore a white rag around his torso, resting on his left shoulder and showing the muscles on the right side of his chest, he also had fairly muscular arms and legs with brown sandals on his feet.

When the boy reached them, he kept his gaze on 'Phil', who didn't seem too happy to see him. "All right, Herc, I hear ya! Now would ya keep it down already?" He whispered loudly. The orange haired boy nodded.

Mai saw something moving in her peripheral vision, causing her to glance over – she caught sight of a boy, he was dressed similar to a soldier with a metal helmet hiding his face: giving light to only his eyes and mouth, and he also had a large sword over his shoulder. His sword actually made Mai feel a little intimidated, seeing as hers was absolutely tiny compared to his. But what surprised Mai the most was how surprisingly small his waist was, making her a little envious – and his chest was surely bulky, and his small waist only made him appear more muscular. "Aha!"

Phil groaned in annoyance, glaring lightly up at 'Herc'. "Beautiful. Are you happy now? You blew my cover!" He exclaimed.

The boy sprinted over to the small group, stopping in front of Phil. "Okay, 'fess up. I asked around, and everybody says you're the guy: the trainer of heroes!" He exclaimed in excitement.

Herc glanced over at him, "true heroes!" He corrected.

Listening to their conversation, a small spark glimmered in Ventus' cerulean orbs, "really? You can teach that?" He asked curiously. Mai glanced over at the side of his head with a raised brow, but when she came to realise that he wasn't going to return her gaze she shook her head with a small sigh.

The soldier nodded, glancing over at Phil. "'Course he can. C'mon, Phil, please." He pleaded. "I really wanna be a hero." The soldier added.

Phil sighed, rubbed the bridge of his nose irritably. "Look, we've been through this. I've got two words for you – student-teacher ratio!" He exclaimed, flailing his arms about.

Ventus was suddenly confused and held up his fingers, "one, two…um?" He mumbled as he counted off his fingers. Mai couldn't help but giggle at his silly antics, catching his attention this time and caused him to smile sheepishly at her, a blush spreading across his face as he quickly averted his gaze.

Phil shook his head and started for the set of stairs. "I already got my hands full with this one, c'mon Herc." He said, ordering the boy to follow behind him, to which the orange haired boy obeyed.

The soldier gawked. "But – I'm low-maintenance, I swear!" He exclaimed.

His words caused Mai to stifle a laugh as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, he looks it." She stage whispered to Ven sarcastically, causing him to force down a grin – but despite how quietly Mai thought she said it, the boy seemed to hear her; catching his attention.

Mai stuttered as he glanced over at her, but where she thought he was going to accuse her of talking about him, his face fell. "Oh, I'm sorry; I always show manners to a lady." He said, eyeballing Mai up and down, causing the brunette's face to redden. The soldier saw the look on her shocked face and grinned. "Ah, you're shy, I get it." He said as he walked over to her and bowed politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, young lady." The soldier stood up straight and sent Mai a small wink, causing the girl's spine to stiffen with nerves.

Ventus glared at the boy, feeling jealousy build in his gut and stepped forward. "Okay, I think you've made yourself known." He affirmed. The boy glanced up at Ventus in confusion, only to catch his harsh gaze; he quickly stepped back and held both his hands up. He was about to open his mouth to speak, but before he could a cry came from behind them.

Glancing over, the trio could see both Phil and Herc surrounded by Floods. "Unversed!" Ventus exclaimed, summoning his KeyBlade as he forgot about the soldier and headed toward the scene without missing a beat.

The soldier smirked. "Monsters, huh…" he mumbled before he turned to Mai. "Don't worry, Miss, allow me." He said with a cheeky grin before he followed closely behind Ventus.

Mai's eyes followed after the mysterious boy, feeling her face redden before she quickly regained herself by rolling her eyes. "Boys," she sighed and quickly followed after them, unsheathing her sword as she did so.

The soldier boy pulled his huge sword from behind his back. "Hey Phil, watch this! I'll show ya what I'm made of." He said.

Herc sunk down into a stance and held up his fists. "And I'll help, too!" He exclaimed, although he sounded a little unsure of himself. Phil nodded, and quickly ran off to hide, causing Mai to sigh as she took her stance.

Whilst Ventus and Herc charged into the fight, the soldier ran up to a flood and raised his sword, ready to strike him down, but before he could land his hit it was already taken care of, and he found his sword being stopped in the middle of his swing. He stuttered, seeing Mai there; wearing a smirk on her lips. "Try to watch where you're swinging that thing, _sir_." She mocked before she pushed against his sword and ran off to fight off other Unversed.

_10 minutes later…_

Mai breathed heavily, feeling the heat really starting to get to her as she glanced around, seeing that there were still Unversed to take down. She groaned in annoyance as Ventus came to stand beside her, gasping for air. "You okay?" He asked before he quickly slashed at an Unversed that had charged at them and defeated it with only one swing.

Mai gasped. "Yeah, just a little worn out." She answered while stomping down on an injured Flood that was scurrying on the ground in front of her.

Ventus quickly shrugged off his backpack and held it out to her. "Alright, sit out for the rest of this fight." He said.

Mai stared at him in disbelief. "What? No!" She objected, "just because I'm a girl~." She teased, knowing that pulling the sexist card would make Ven all defensive, and she couldn't help but find it adorable when his face went red with stubborn as he tried to get his point across.

Ventus slashed down another Unversed before he looked at Mai with a cute pout on his lips. "I'm not saying that it's because you're a girl!" He exclaimed childishly, causing Mai to giggle before she rushed passed him and stabbed into a Floods gut as it tried to sneak up on Ven.

"Thanks," he said, still pouting and caused Mai to laugh as she took Ven's bag that was hanging off his arm and walked off to the sidelines, feeling the heat becoming too much for her as she stepped into the shade and leaned against a wall of a temple, sheathing her sword and reaching into Ven's bag, passed all the clothing and pulled out the water bottle that was filled with warm water.

As Mai took a refreshing drink she took note of how the other two boys fought – 'Herc' was surprisingly fighting head on, no weapon or anything, and yet he was killing most of the Unversed with just one hit. Whilst the mysterious soldier used his sword, and as Mai watched him, she couldn't help but be reminded of Terra's form of fighting – strength was Terra's main style, although he was short on speed and accuracy, just one painful swing of that scary KeyBlade of his and it would knock a person out…Mai was well known to that…

Quickly shaking away the memories, Mai noticed that there was only a few Unversed left, so she took that as her invitation to join the battle again – she pulled her sword out and flung Ven's back pack over her shoulder before she started towards the fight. Mai didn't rush in to fight Unversed, but even with her slow entrance, one of the Unversed still jumped at the chance to attack her; to which Mai jumped forward and stabbed down into its head, feeling her blade being stopped by the stone beneath her feet. Mai waited for the monster to disappear in a dark aura before she pulled her sword out of the ground and continued forward.

Ventus noticed that Mai had jumped back into the battle, and couldn't help but smile to himself before he glanced back over to the large Unversed in front of him before he finished it off, but as soon as he did a few more Floods jumped out of the ground, causing Ventus to sigh in mild annoyance – he was just thankful that Floods were the lesser of the Unversed.

Mai sighed to herself before she swung at the Floods in front of her, whilst the boys took care of the monsters around them.

When all of the Unversed were taken care of, Phil came out from his hiding spot and met up with Mai and the boys in the centre of the square – Herc was chuckling tiredly and rubbed the back of his neck. Phil sighed before he glanced up at Herc and the soldier, crossing his arms over his chest. "Okay…change of plans." He finally spoke up, and at his words the soldier stepped forward, a grin under his helmet. "The games are comin' up. So, I'm gonna watch both of your matches…" His voice trailed off.

Mai stood next to Ventus, and shrugged off his back pack before she nudged his arm with her elbow to get his attention. Ven glanced over at her, and noticed that Mai was holding out his bag for him, causing him to smile lightly as he reached out for it. "Thanks." He whispered below his breath, but it was loud enough for Mai to hear, earning him a small grin. Ventus felt his face warm up from Mai's smile and instantly switched his gaze back down to Phil as he pulled his back pack on.

Phil continued. "Then I'll decide which of you rookies I wanna train." He established.

The soldier grinned to himself, "sweet! Thank you, thank you!" He cheered. "I'm gonna sign up right now." He confirmed before he dashed off towards the stairs without another word.

Ventus' eyes lit up at the sound of 'The Games' and couldn't fight the urge inside him, "The Games, huh? Sounds fun!" He exclaimed before he started after the mysterious boy – causing Mai to stare at his back before she rolled her eyes, but allowed a smile to cross her features over how excited he seemed.

Phil's gaze followed Ven. "Sorry kid, Captain Eager there just took the last spot." He told him before the blonde was too far away to hear him.

At Phil's words, Ventus stopped in his tracks before he glanced down at his shoes with a disappointed sigh. Mai could feel his sudden change of heart, and couldn't help but feel pity for him before Herc got her attention. "I-I don't understand!" He stuttered. He stared down at the satyr's back with wide eyes. "Phil, I thought you were my trainer!" He exclaimed.

Phil sent the boy a quick glance over his shoulder. "You wanna be a true hero, Herc?" He asked rhetorically before he started for the stairs in front of him. "Then you're gonna hafta go out there and show me that everything I've taught you so far is gonna pay off." He said before he was out of hearing range.

Herc stepped after him, but soon stopped himself. "But Phil…" His voice trailed off, trickling with calamity.

"Oh, and no more training sessions for a while," He called so that the boy could hear him, "wouldn't be fair if I helped you and not him!" He exclaimed before he reached the stairs and walked out of sight.

Mai glanced over at Herc, seeing his face drop completely and bowed his head. She walked over to him and gripped at his shoulder with a small shake – startling the boy and catching his attention. She chuckled. "Hey, cheer up. All you have to do is fight a couple o' matches, right? No big deal!" She exclaimed, grinning widely at the orange haired boy and caused him to chuckle in return at how enthusiastic Mai was.

Ventus noticed how comfortable Mai was with the boy and couldn't help his right brow from twitching, but he waved it off like snow on his shoulder and walked over to the pair, noticing that Herc still looked a little down.

Mai continued to shake his shoulder. "I'm Mai, and this is Ventus," she said, pointing at herself with her thumb before she turned to point at Ven, causing Herc to glance over at him before looking back at Mai. "You want us to help you train?" She asked kindly.

Herc was baffled by her sudden inquiry. "You…You'd really do that for me?" He wondered, switching his gaze between the two companions; his gaze landing on Ven. The blonde nodded eagerly. "Sure, why not?" He asked rhetorically with a shrug.

The orange haired boy grinned. "Thanks, guys. I'm Hercules." He introduced, "Herc for short." He established, and since he was facing Ventus he held his hand out to the blonde for a hand shake.

Ven happily placed his hand in Herc's. "Just call me Ven." He grinned, "you're gonna do fine in the matches." He said confidently.

Hercules released Ven's hand and turned to Mai, causing the brunette to stutter. "I don't have a nickname, just…Mai." She wistfully told him, causing their new friend to chuckle.

Hercules grinned at her. "No worries. Well, thanks, you guys." He grinned excitedly. "I'm gonna head over to the Coliseum and warm up. Meet me in the vestibule, okay?" He asked before he started for the stairs, and as he walked past Ven the blonde nodded at him.

The pair stood there for a while before Hercules was out of sight. Ventus turned to Mai, a small frown on his face – but as soon as Mai met his gaze he swiftly looked away, almost as if he wasn't staring at her. Mai sighed as she stepped over to him, stopping in front of the blonde and crossed her arms over her chest, "what's up with you, kiddo?" She asked.

Ventus kept his head down, but glanced up at Mai through his sun-kissed bangs, "nothing." He lied, and Mai could tell.

The brunette sighed and reached over, clasping Ven's chin between her thumb and forefinger before she tilted his head up, seeing his eyes more clearly now. "Ven," she started sternly.

Ventus suddenly felt his palms go sweaty – despite how close their faces were, Ven couldn't help but feel intimidated by the tone in Mai's voice. "I-I swear it's nothing." He tried to pass off, but he didn't move out of Mai's grasp – instead took the opportunity to stare into her eyes at such a close proximity.

The brunette sighed, now looking at the older blonde with a traumatizing sad stare: her eyes became larger and glassy, whilst her lips were pouted. Ven couldn't help but take in every inch of her face, feeling the guilt eating up inside him before he finally sighed. "Fine," he groaned. At his words, Mai grinned at him and released his chin, waiting patiently for Ventus to speak.

He stood there anxiously, feeling his heart rate increase as he brought himself to tell Mai about his petty jealousy. "…I'll tell y'later." He said quickly before he turned on his heel and started for the stairs at such a speed that Mai couldn't match.

The brunette stuttered, reaching after him before she dropped her hand, glaring lightly after Ventus. "Sometimes I wonder about him." She muttered under her breath, shaking her head before she followed after the blonde toward the Coliseum.

_A few minutes later…_

Once in the fairly small vestibule, Ventus walked over to Hercules – who was standing near the entrance that must've led to the arena. Mai followed quickly behind Ventus and glanced around the small room: trophies were lined up on shelves on either side of the vestibule, their colours varying from gold to blue. There was a small bench up against one of the walls, and there was a holographic Moogle shop in the corner next to the door.

Herc grinned at Ventus as the blonde walked over to him, "ready for some training?" He asked hopefully.

Ventus nodded eagerly. "Let's get started!" He exclaimed. At his answer, Hercules' smile only grew as he sent Ventus a small nod before he started for the entrance to the arena, gesturing for Ven to follow him.

The blonde glanced over his shoulder to see Mai, who was having a conversation of her own with the holographic Moogle. She laughed, causing him to smile to himself before he called her name to get her attention. "Mai, are you coming?" He asked, nodding his head towards the arena.

Mai took a while to understand what Ven had said before she nodded, said her goodbyes to Moogle and skipped towards Ventus, but as she did she managed to catch her own foot on an unsteady panel in front of her, causing Mai to tumble forwards.

She closed her eyes and pushed her hands in front of her, not wanting to break her nose and bleed everywhere. Mai felt her gloved hands slam onto the stone floor, causing her to briefly open her eyes. Her face was inches from the ground – glancing over her shoulder Mai saw Ven staring down at her with a worried glance on his face.

"Are you alright?" Ventus asked, alarmed. Mai stuttered before nodding twice, and she saw a smile of relief pass across Ven's lips before he clasped her hand and pulled her up to her feet.

"Thank you." Mai murmured, casting her eyes down in embarrassment.

Ventus could see Mai's face beginning to turn a light shade of red, causing him to grin to himself. "What am I gonna do with you?" He joked half-heartedly, but at his words Mai glanced up at him, capturing his eyes in a mesmerising stare.

Mai could feel her heart rate increase, and all the blood rushed to her face, turning it a dark shade of pink and only made her feel more embarrassed. The longer Mai stared, the more she found herself getting lost in her thoughts, and soon the memory of Radiant Garden began to play through her head repeatedly.

His soft lips brushing against hers, and the way his fingers tenderly grazed her neck-

Mai rapidly shook her head, trying to clear her head and stared down at her feet, but instead found her gaze on both hers and Ven's hands, which were still intertwined. Ven's eyes followed Mai's, and at the sight of their hands his face suddenly grew hot, giving Mai's appendage a little squeeze before he loosened his grip and let his hand rest by his side.

At this, Mai glanced up at Ven with a strange glint in her eyes and a small frown on her face, confusing the blonde greatly before a call behind them cleared his racing thoughts, "Ven, you ready?!" Hercules called from the arena.

Ventus looked over his shoulder and through the entrance, seeing the orange haired boy standing in the centre of the stage, the hot sun beating down on him. But the heat didn't seem to bother him too much, seeing as he was jumping around and waving at Ventus.

The blonde nodded, "yeah!" He exclaimed before turning to Mai, gesturing her to follow him into the arena, which she did. Once outside, the sun seemed to hit them like a ton of bricks – much like all of the other times the teens were in a hot world.

Mai glanced around the bland arena: everything was sand coloured with a stage in the centre, and steps lined up the side of the arena. Mai started for the steps to sit down and watch the boys spar, but before she could Ventus tapped her shoulder.

Mai turned to face Ven curiously, but as soon as she saw the beige bag in her face she knew what he wanted. She chuckled lightly as she took the bag from his hands, waiting patiently as Ventus removed his excess layers of clothing and placed them in the bag, leaving him without a shirt before he walked towards Hercules, summoning his KeyBlade as he did so.

Mai couldn't help but feel her palms grow sweaty at the sight of Ven without a shirt on, but it wasn't like it was the first time she's seen him shirtless; for Christ sake she'd seen him in nothing but his boxers before!

Mai wasted no time and made her way over to the benches, pulling herself up onto the first step and sat down before she looked over at Ven and Herc, seeing them exchange a few words before they got to training sparring each other.

Mai watched in anticipation, but not once did she take her eyes off of Ventus – not even for a second. Mai didn't know what was going on with her, one minute she was fine, the next she would be tripping and stuttering like an idiot.

It was all Ven's fault.

Mai nodded, establishing that what she was acting like was nothing but a reflex to what happened back in Radiant Garden…but why would she be acting like that only now? Mai was a little bit confused, but decided not to bask on it too much and switched her attention to the back pack on the step beside her.

Ven's clothing was too much for the little bag, leaving it unable to close properly and caused Ven's attire to fall out of the bag. Mai sighed, glancing up at the blonde for a brief moment before she reached down and grabbed Ven's thermal shirt before she roughly shoved it back inside the bag.

She huffed, feeling her face grow hot with embarrassment as the cool sent from Ven's shirt passed by her, sending a cool shudder down her spine and sent her heart racing. She didn't know if she liked the change in the way she saw Ven, or if she hated it.

It wasn't a big change, not that she had fallen head over heels from him or anything, just that she had found an attraction toward the blonde…an attraction that began to change Mai in every way. Suddenly, all Mai had wanted was Ventus' attention. Nothing else mattered if she had that.

She sighed. _What's happening to me? Sure I've thought of Ventus that way before…but what would that do to our friendship…and Kura…?_

"The last thing I would ever want is to lose you, Ven…but I couldn't bear to hurt Kura, either." Mai let out a small whine.

"The laws of attraction," a voice spoke up from behind Mai, causing her to glance over her shoulder to see who was speaking. Phil walked down the steps and stood next to Mai, "if you're not careful it'll come back and bite ya in the ass. Hard." He said, not bothering to look at Mai.

The brunette raised a brow before she sighed, staring back out to the arena, her eyes fixed on Ventus. "It's not like that..."

Phil scoffed. "It never is." He said before he glanced at Mai. "So why don't you tell me how it is, Mai?"

The brunette was left stumped by Phil, leaving her to stare into her lap. "I…I'm not sure." She sighed, "I mean, I like Ven…he's the first person I see in the morning and the last I see before I go to sleep, but every now and then that chain is broken when Kura comes along."

"But which one do you love?" He asked.

Mai stuttered. "Wha- I-I wouldn't go that far, satyr." She fumbled in defence.

Her reaction made Phil role his eyes. "Yeah, that's exactly what I said…but when I stopped being stubborn and faced the truth, it was already too late." He said before he turned away from Mai. "You're running out of time, kid – and too soon it'll all be gone." He started for the door at the top of the steps. "I'd work quickly if I were you, Mai." He told her lastly before he was out of hearing distance.

Mai's stunned eyes followed after him, but a sudden hand on her knees caused Mai to stare down and meet bright cerulean eyes. "C'mon, Mai, training's over." Ventus smiled warmly, shaking her knee before he reached over and pulled his shirt out of his backpack, slipping it back on before he grabbed his bag, forcing the top closed and swung the straps over his shoulders.

Mai noticed that he was drenched in sweat, it was even dripping from the tip of his hair, making the locks fall flat on his head from the moisture, and his breathing was heavy enough to make Mai think he was having a heart attack.

Mai jumped down from the step and landed beside Ven, who smiled sweetly at her before he started for the entrance to the arena. Mai was about to follow after him, but the sudden feeling that she was being watched overwhelmed her.

Mai glanced over her shoulder and to one of the small doors that the audience would use to enter the arena, but all she saw were a few sparks of electric blue flames before they disappeared. Mai stared at the doorway for a few seconds longer before she shook her head, leaving it as nothing but her imagination before she hurried off to follow Ventus into the vestibule.

_She's back~_

"So, you want to become a true hero?" Ventus asked Hercules once inside the vestibule, Mai coming to stand behind him moments later.

Herc turned to Ventus with a hopeful grin playing on his lips, "more than anything!" He exclaimed, before letting out a small sigh. "See, my father is Zeus, the king of the gods up in Olympus." He explained.

His words left Mai and Ventus in complete awe. Ventus stuttered. "Whoa! Herc, you're a god?" He asked in alarm.

Hercules shook his head. "No, no. I'm mortal." He clarified. "When I was a baby, somebody stole me from my parents, and…figured out how to take away my godhood." He explained, turning away from the two and bowed his head shamefully.

Mai stepped forward with a curious frown. "So, this true hero thing…?" She wondered.

Hercules started for the trophies on the shelves on the right side of the room, staring longingly at the trophies. "It's the only way I can become a god again. If I become a true hero, I can rejoin my father and go back to Olympus." He said with a sad smile.

Ventus exhaled deeply. "Wow…I guess you really got your work cut out for you!" He exclaimed.

Hercules simply waved him off and turned to face the teens. "But what about you guys? How come you're here?" He wondered.

Mai turned to Ventus, wondering the exact same thing. The blonde was reluctant to answer and stared down at his feet. "Well…we're just trying to make some friends." He answered solemnly.

Mai felt her heart drop to her knees as she stared at the back of Ven's head with a disbelieving look on her face. She suddenly felt that her, Terra and Aqua were no longer good enough for him. _What?!_

Hercules merely chuckled."Well, hey! You've done that already." He said, causing Ventus to glance up at the orange haired male.

"Huh?" He wondered.

Herc came to stand in front of Ventus. "C'mon, we're friends, aren't we?" He asked.

Ventus let out a hollow chuckle. "You bet, Herc." He answered. Mai stood there silently, feeling as though she was nothing but a ghost, lingering around Ventus like a little bug that wouldn't leave him alone. All of a sudden she felt alone, like she wasn't wanted anywhere…she couldn't tell if she was just overreacting, or if that was actually the case.

Right at that moment, the vestibule doors were dragged open, and on the other side of the door was the soldier in blue. Mai glanced over at him, noticing that he was looking straight back at her, causing her cheeks to redden as she turned her head away.

Ven sent the soldier a quick glance, but when he saw that he was staring over at Mai he couldn't help but feel a small rush of adrenaline as a deep frown etched its way onto his features before he quickly turned away.

"All right, you bunch of rookies." Phil spoke out as he walked through the entrance to the arena, startling Mai as she stared straight over at him in shock.

The satyr came to stand in front of the four teens, "it's time we go over the rules of The Games, so listen up!" He exclaimed. "All the matches are divided into two brackets – one for the East and one for the West. The winners from each bracket go head-to-head in the championship match. Now, I signed you two up for the West…" He turned to the soldier and Herc, "'cause they already got a heavy-hittin' contender cleanin' up over there in the East bracket. And if you wanna beat him, you're gonna hafta hustle in there."

The boys nodded. Phil turned back toward the entrance of the arena. "Now move those sandals." He ordered before starting for the arena, Herc and the soldier following shortly after him.

Ventus stood there for a moment, crossing his arms over his chest with a deep frown on his face as he thought, "heavy-hitting contender?" He asked himself.

Mai pouted and put a finger to her lips as she thought. "It could be Terra!" She exclaimed.

"Ven, C'mon," Hercules called out from the arena, snapping Ventus out of his thoughts.

"Oh, okay!" He replied before he ran off into the arena, leaving Mai to stand in the vestibule by herself.

"…Just ignore me, then." She spat bitterly, a deep frown crossing her face as she crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly.

"Wow, now _that_ was a kick in the ovaries!" An unfamiliar voice exclaimed from behind Mai, startling her and caused her to turn on her heel, but she lost her footing and tumbled to the ground, landing flat on her backside with a small _thud_.

Mai glanced up, seeing a fairly large man with electric blue skin wearing a long black robe, but the thing that shocked Mai the most was his flaming blue hair that matched his skin. "What the-…"

"The name's Hades, Lord of the dead, yada-yada." He introduced before he reached forward, grabbing Mai's forearm and pulled her to her feet. "I couldn't help but see that little rejection – well, of course I couldn't help it, I was watching on purpose – anyway, I know how you feel, chicken." He said, pinching Mai's cheek.

The brunette stood there, staring up at the blue man with half of her face being stretched. "Uh, do I know you?" Mai asked, her voice sounding a little strange due to her cheek being squished.

Hades released Mai's cheek and came to stand behind her and gripped her shoulders uncomfortably tight, causing the brunette to squirm under his grasp. "I can tell you're upset – angry, even." He leaned down to be eye level with Mai, "to just be rejected like-…"

"I was not rejected like anything!" Mai snapped, pulling herself out of Hades' grip and turned to face him with a deep frown on her face.

"If you weren't rejected then why is all of that anger building up inside you as we speak?" He asked tauntingly, a wicked smirk playing on his lips.

Mai was stunned by his comeback, leaving her speechless. "Uh…" was all she could muster, causing Hades' smirk to only grow as his eyes travelled down to the sheathed sword wrapped around Mai's waist, "how about we go burn off that anger of yours with some good ol' fighting!?" He persuaded, reaching out to spin Mai around before he lead her out of the doors of the vestibule.

_90 minute later…_

Ventus walked over to Hercules and Phil, who were talking on the side of the stage, "looks like you made it." He congratulated, catching their attention.

Herc grinned widely. "Yeah, and it's all thanks to you, Ven." He replied.

At his words, Phil crossed his arms over his fat chest with a scoff. "Good! The other kid'll be happy to hear that." He taunted, predicting the orange haired boy's reaction.

He stuttered, "n-no! I need you most of all, Phil! How else am I gonna become a hero?" He asked in alarm, causing Phil to grin to himself.

"Hmph! 'Bout time ya got it!" He mocked before he started off toward the vestibule.

The boys' eyes followed after the satyr, but in the corner of their eyes they could see the soldier running over to them.

Ventus crossed his arms behind his head as the boy came to stand in front of them. "Whoever wins; no hard feelings," he established, holding his hand out for Herc to shake.

The Greek boy grinned, placing his hand in the blue soldier's. "Course not. Holdin' a grudge wouldn't be very heroic."

"Hey, just making sure. You're not a hero yet."

His words caused Hercules to chuckle. "True." He replied with a big grin.

The boys readied themselves on the stage before the bell rang atop the coliseum, signalling the beginning of the match. Hercules charged at the soldier and swung for him, but before he could land a hit, the weapon wielding male back flipped out of the way.

The mysterious boy jumped up in the air, holding his sword high above his head. Hercules gasped, jumping out of the way just in time before the boy's sword clashed on the ground.

Ventus stood on the sidelines, watching the match intently so not to miss a second of it. "This is really close." He thought aloud, but then – in the blink of an eye – the match had changed completely.

Ventus no longer saw Hercules and the mysterious soldier battling it out, but instead he saw Terra and Aqua – they were sparring, just like they always did, and just by watching an illusion he was reminded of how much he missed them.

"Hey! We got trouble!" Phil suddenly called out, snapping the blonde out of his thoughts as the satyr stopped in front of the stage. "Ven, your little girlfriend is out in town fending off a hoard of monsters! If they get past her and gate-crash the games then you can all forget about the match!" He exclaimed, turning to face the boys on the stage.

Hercules fumbled, "real monster?" He asked.

The soldier came to stand in front of Herc. "We have to stop 'em." He said.

Ventus felt his blood run cold as his eyes went wide. "Forget the monsters, I gotta help Mai." He told himself before he darted for the vestibule, summoning his KeyBlade as he did so, "keep the match going!" He told Phil before he ran into the vestibule to find Mai

Mai panted heavily, a wide grin on her face as she swung at the last Unversed in the town square, defeating it with only one hit. She laughed as she turned to face Hades, who stood in a dark corner, where he clapped supportively. "Well, done, chicken. I honestly didn't think you had all of that power in you!" He exclaimed with a sick smirk.

Mai laughed, still panting heavily. "Well…you're not…the only person…that I managed to surprise." she grinned, a small spark of something awakening in her eyes.

Hades smirked to himself at the little glitter in Mai's emerald orbs, but a sharp voice caught him off guard.

"_**MAI!**__"_

The aforementioned girl was just as startled as she spun on her heel to face the steps of the town square, where she spotted a familiar blonde off in the distance. "…Ven?" Mai questioned before she felt a large pair of cold hands clasp her shoulders.

Mai glanced up, only to see Hades staring over at Ventus as he ran over, but the blonde was too far away to notice Hades. "I'm sorry, chicken, but this is where our little training session comes to an end." He said, mocking a sad tone and caused Mai to chuckle. "Hey; do us both a favour and keep this a secret, will ya?" He asked, leaning down to be eye level with Mai.

The brunette met his frozen gaze and gave him a firm nod, the grin still on her face before Hades disappeared within a cloud of blue-ish purple smoke.

When the smoke had faded away Mai turned to face Ven, who was still speeding towards her. She waited patiently for him, and when he finally stood in front of her he panted. "Mai, where's the Unversed?!" He asked in alarm. "Did you get hurt?" He asked, taking a hold of her right arm and pushing her long sleeve up her arm, but before he could search for cuts or scratches Mai quickly pulled her arm out of his grasp, causing Ven to look at her strangely.

"I didn't get hurt." Mai answered simply, looking away from the blonde and placed her sword back into her sheath that was wrapped loosely around her waist. "Not that you would care." She said below her breath, missing Ven's ears…but he did see her mouth move.

The blonde stood there for a moment, trying to process in his mind what could be plaguing Mai's thoughts to make her act bitter towards him. "Mai, have I…have I done something?" He asked, dreading to know the answer.

Mai crossed her arms over her chest, lowering her gaze and took a deep breath before she mustered a smile and turned to Ven, dropping her arms by her side. "Of course not, Kiddo," she let out a small laugh. However, Ven didn't look too amused, knocking the smile off Mai's face. "Just…trust me when I say that I can take care of myself, okay?" She asked rhetorically, to which Ven nodded, a smile of relief crossing his lips.

Seeing the look on his face, Mai began to understand that what she was feeling towards Ven was nothing to hate. It wasn't Ventus' fault if she was starting to grow strong feelings for him, it's not anybody's fault, and Mai now knew that since she was given plenty of time to clear her head when Hades' had her train with all of those Unversed, she had time to truly think about what Phil had said to her.

_You're running out of time, kid – and too soon it'll all be gone._

_I'd work quickly if I were you, Mai._

The pain that Mai faced just thinking back on those words were unbearable, of course she would jump at the chance to be with Ven. But there was someone else that Mai would jump for as well…the only person holding her back from everything, the person that she would bleed her heart out to within seconds…

Mai stuttered, seeing something move in the corner of her eye in the shadows behind her, but before she could catch what it was it had already disappeared. A flicker of hope sparked inside Mai's heart as she hoped that it was the one she was thinking of.

"Ven!" Herc's voice called out, drawing Mai's attention away from the dark corner and over to the orange haired boy that was heading towards her and Ven, even though he only called for the blonde.

Ventus was startled to hear his name and turned abruptly, "Herc?!" He asked himself before the boy reached them, "Herc, what about your match?" He wondered. "Don't you lose if you leave?"

Herc merely waved him off with a friendly grin. "It was my decision." He lifted the weight from Ven's chest. "Besides, I would choose my friends over a silly match any day." Herc looked behind Ven to nod at Mai, to which she returned the gesture.

"What, you didn't save any monsters for me?" The soldier's voice rang from behind Hercules, capturing everyone's attention as they turned to face him. Mai stepped forward to stand beside Ven.

Hercules seemed surprised that he'd even showed up. "Hey, you're here." He said with an awkward grin.

The soldier started towards the group. "Hey, I've set my sights on being a hero too…I just don't run as fast, that's all." He admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"So you both threw the match?" Ventus asked, feeling guilty about making his new friends worry and ruin their match, "who one then?"

Hercules' face grew glum. "I left first, so it's not me." He answered, upset that Phil was no longer going to be training him to become a hero.

The soldier nudged the boy's arm. "Yeah, but I was only seconds behind you." He attempted to make Hercules feel better about it.

The defeated lad looked to his feet, "still." He said lowly.

Mai stood there silently, just happy that none of the boys apart from Ven had asked about the Unversed, but not one of them seemed to care that there were none around. Mai merely shrugged it off, thinking that they must just be happy with the fact that they were all gone, but because of Hades training her with Unversed Hercules had lost his match without even trying to win.

"Hey!" Phil called out, catching everybody's gaze as he came to stand beside Hercules. "I never said I'd coach the winner. All I said was I'd see the match and then decide." Phil noticed that the boys looked a little confused, causing him to sigh. "Look, bein' a hero takes more than just muscle. Ya gotta have heart and care about people. And sure, you both get high marks for that, but this time only one of you cared fast enough – and that makes all the difference." Phil lifted the anxious weight on both boys' chest.

Mai gawked. "So that means…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes caught Herc's.

The soldier sunk with his head low. "Oh man, I was so close!" He complained before he pulled himself back up, still with a frown etched on his face. "Well, that's life." He let off a smile before a sudden realisation struck him. "Oh, I never really introduced myself," he reached up and slid his helmet from over his face.

Mai gawked at his handsome face: his ebony black hair was spiked back with two bangs coming forward in front of his face, and his lightning striking blue eyes were outstanding, it was almost as if they weren't real!

The soldier held his helmet under his arm. "The name's Zack." He introduced with a wide grin. "Congratulations, Herc."

Hercules looked as stunned as Mai by his appearance. "Thanks, Zack." He laughed.

Phil huffed. "Yeah well, we'll see if you're still thanking him when I'm through with ya." He said in a way that made everyone want to believe he was being sarcastic. "You got a long road ahead of ya, champ."

Zack began to do squats on the spot. "Hey – don't count me out." He reminded Phil, "I've still got plenty of big dreams to go with my lousy luck!" He laughed, causing Hercules to let out a small chuckle.

Mai watched Ventus as he slipped away from the group of chattering lads and knelt down beside Phil, she watched them exchange a few words before she received a tap on the shoulder, startling her as she turned, meeting Zack's face. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe I ever got your name." He said with a sideward grin.

Mai stuttered. "Oh, sorry…my name's Mai." She said, smiling her widest as she watched Zack try to process her name through his head.

"Mai...Mai…okay, I think I got it." He smirked before he crossed his arms over his chest. "Y'know, you remind me of somebody I used to know when I was a kid." He said randomly.

"Uh…do I?" Mai asked, confused of what to think about it.

Zack leaned down, getting close to Mai's face and studied her eyes carefully. "Yeah…something about your eyes," He said, tilting his head side to side, "I feel like I've seen them somewhere before." Zack reached out, and with a gloved hand moved the brown bangs away from Mai's eyes, but the second he touched her Mai's vision went white.

_An image flew into her head of a figure with black hair laying in a pool of blood surrounded by wasteland…looking closely at his face Mai could see that it was the boy standing directly in front of her._

Mai gasped, moving away from Zack's grasp and stumbled over her own feet, sending her to the ground with a thud, but she didn't take much notice and stared up at Zack's scared face as he tried to think of what he had done wrong.

Ventus quickly ran to her side and took her shoulders, trying to grab her attention, but her gaze didn't dare leave the ebony haired boy. "Mai, what's wrong?" He asked, feeling the worry explode in his gut.

Mai finally broke her stare with Zack and shook her head. "…n-nothing," she answered, pulling herself from Ven's grasp and pushing herself onto her feet before she brushed off the dust from her backside. "I'm fine." She smiled up at Ven as he stood up, his face still etched with worry.

Ventus kept his mouth shut before he sent Zack a confused look to which the soldier held his hands up. "Hey, I barely touched her before she freaked out. I didn't mean any harm, I swear." He apologised.

Hercules stepped forward. "Are you okay, Mai?" He asked worriedly. "You don't look so good." He took not of her incredibly pale face.

Mai let off a painfully awkward giggle. "I'm fine, trust me." She smiled, but she knew that nobody believed her. She quickly glanced over at Ventus. "I think it's about time we got going." She suggested, sending Ven a look that told him that she had something to tell him.

The blonde nodded, to which Hercules' face grew solemn. "Wh-…you're leaving already?" He asked in a tone that pleaded them not to leave.

Ventus glanced at him apologetically. "Yeah…our journey's not over yet." He said reassuringly, sending Mai a quick glance.

Hercules sent him a sad smile. "You'll come back to visit though, won't you?" He asked, although it sounded more like a demand, which made the travelling duo grin.

Mai stepped forward. "How about this: we'll stop by once you become a true hero." She suggested fairly, brushing off the fear inside her heart.

Hercules nodded before Zack stepped forward. "Stop by once we're both heroes!" He included himself.

Ventus chuckled. "Oh, so you mean never come back." He said, crossing his arms over his chest mockingly.

Zack ran to him. "Hey, watch it!" He warned playfully, pulling the younger blonde into a headlock, to which Ven tried to pull himself out of, but to no avail. The pair burst out into laughter, causing everybody else to join in, including Mai.

When the laughter seized, Ven turned to Mai and gestured her to follow him as he started up the steps, she began to do so before Phil caught her gaze.

She glanced down at the short satyr who nodded at her. "Remember what I told you, Mai." He told her wisely. Mai nodded at him firmly with a warm smile, to which he returned before she started up the steps after Ven, waving over her shoulder a few times to her new friends that she was about to leave behind. Well, at least she was certain that she was leaving one behind.

The guilt and pain that built up inside her was phenomenal. Mai knew that boy was going to die, and yet she kept walking away, hoping that she could just let it go, that it would never hang on her conscience. She didn't know when it was going to happen, but she just knew that it was going to happen: that vision left a feeling inside Mai that told her that was going to come true, whether she liked it or not.

When Mai reached the top of the stairs she looked back at them all, keeping an eye on Zack. She didn't know what to do, was she supposed to tell him, or just leave it and hope that she could come back in time to warn him? She had no clue, and it scared her to great depths. What if she didn't make it in time to save him? The guilt would hang over her head for the rest of her life.

Mai took a deep breath and readied herself to run back down the stairs to tell him, but before she could Mai's vision turned black.

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter ^-^ **

**Also, I have a little something; I actually think that Mai has a new theme song, and I feel that when you find out what it is you'll enjoy it. But before I tell you all what it is, I'd just like to say that I chose this particular melody because I believe that it will accompany Mai in her journey, and in my future KH stories that it will only be a much better match for her and everything to do with her.**

**To hear the song, follow the link below: (obviously, change the regular.)**

watch?v=WOJ6bzveAlE


	12. Chapter 12: wherever you go

Mai hummed lightly, feeling her senses coming back to her as she began to wake up. The first thing that she felt was a pair of arms that wrapped around her waist, keeping her upright, and when her vision finally came around she saw Ventus' armour and she instantly knew that they were travelling in The Lanes Between.

She instantly felt panic sink in inside of her as her mind reverted to Zack, causing her to writhe as her face began to twist with guilt. Ventus felt her moving in his grasp and smiled down at her from under his helmet, "nice to know you're finally awake." He laughed.

"We have to go back!" She burst at Ven, feeling tears prick at her eyes and her heart tightening inside of her chest. "Ven, please, turn around!" She pleaded. Her sudden action startled Ven, bringing him to a stop on his KeyBlade Glider.

"What?" He asked, unsure of why Mai was acting so frantic. He heard the brunette beginning to sob, causing him to hold onto her tighter, "hey, it's okay-"

"No, it's not!" She yelled, cutting Ven's sentence short, "back then when I freaked out…I-I had a vision of some kind." She told him. "I saw Zack…he was dead." She croaked, hiding her face in Ven's chest as she cried.

The blonde was stunned at her words, "wait…what?" He couldn't seem to wrap his brain around what Mai was saying, but none the less he turned his glider around and started back toward The Coliseum. "Do you want me to go back?" He asked in a soothing voice, trying to calm Mai's cries.

The brunette nodded against his chest, still crying, but before Ven could accelerate something collided with his Glider, sending the vehicle into a viscous spiral. Ven felt Mai slip from his grasp and she was flung from the glider, but before he could lose her Ven leaped, quickly grabbing a hold of her hand while trying to keep his grip on his glider.

Mai let out a panicked scream as Ventus grabbed her hand, which she clutched with both hands. Just when she thought they were going to be fine, whatever had crashed into them the first time done it again, making the glider spin off in every direction.

Mai felt her grip on Ven's hands beginning to slip, "Ven, I can't hold on!" She yelled, fear gripping at her heart. Ventus struggled to keep a hold of both Mai and his glider, "neither…can I!" He said in a strained voice as he tried to pull Mai into him, but to no avail.

Mai could tell that Ven was struggling, and she had to make a decision before the pair of them ended up lost in The Lanes Between. She clenched her eyes shut as she let go of Ven's hand, but he refused to let go, "Mai, what're you doing?" He asked in a panicked voice.

Mai looked up, seeing his eyes faintly through his helmet. "Let go of me, Ven." She told him, causing Ventus to frown at her, "are you crazy?!" He questioned before the mysterious thing had crashed into the glider again, causing the blonde to cry out in pain from feeling of his shoulder being pulled out of its socket as he tried to hold onto the glider.

"Ven," Mai started to get his attention, "just remember that wherever you go…I'm always with you!" She choked. Ven was silent as he glanced between Mai and his glider before he fixated on the girl he clung onto "…I'll find you!" he yelled, and Mai could hear the fear in his voice.

The brunette smiled sadly at him, "I know you will!" She said before the thing collided with the glider once more, causing Ven's grip on Mai's hand to loosen and he could only watch as she was flung into the darkness around them.

"Mai!" He called, reaching a hand out to her, tears slipping from his eyes as fear clutched his heart so tight it felt like he couldn't breathe. The fear was soon replaced with anger as he looked at whatever had collided with his Glider, catching sight of a large octopus-like Unversed.

The blonde gritted his teeth as he used his remaining strength to pull himself onto his glider, crying out as he raced after the Unversed in case he lost sight of it. He followed it to what appeared to be a large space ship, and seeing it fly into what appeared to be an entrance for smaller ships he instinctively followed it. "Get back here!" He screamed.

Ven boarded the large ship, glancing around the room that he was in, everything looked incredibly advanced, with a small lower platform in the center of the of the circular room covered with computers. He lifted his arm, but winced in pain from the feeling of his shoulder moving around out of it's socket. It wasn't the first time Ventus had his shoulders, or any other bone, pulled out of it's socket, so he fiddled around with it for a bit before he finally pushed it back into place, gritting his teeth together to keep him from crying out in pain.

"So you're the intruder. Identify yourself!" a voice bellowed from behind Ventus, catching his attention. Turning around, Ven was stunned upon looking up at a huge whale-looking being.

"I don't have time for this," he told the tall figure, "the monster that I was chasing boarded this ship and it's my job to take it down!" He exclaimed, the image of Mai slipping from his grasp plaguing his thoughts. He clenched a fist as he felt his chest tighten with worry.

The tall whale laughed, pulling out an oddly shaped orange gun from behind his back and aimed it at the blonde, "nice try. If there was another intruder on this ship then we would have detected it." He said smugly.

As if on cue the pair of them felt the ship shake violently and the room began to flash with red lights, a voice called out from the speakers in the corner of the room.

"**Intruder in the machinery bay!**

**We lost control of the engines! I-it's some kind of monster!"**

The large alien quickly tucked his gun away into the holster and turned to the large door, "now you tell me..." He muttered before he looked back at Ven, giving him a stern look. "Stay right there! I have lots of unpleasant questions to ask you." he warned before quickly taking his leave.

Upon his leave Ventus scoffed, "the sooner I get rid of this thing the sooner I can find Mai. I can't have it hurting anymore people." He exclaimed to himself and started for the door the large figure left through, but before he could reach the door a ball of orange and blue flashed before his eyes, landing in front of him.

Ventus looked down, seeing a small blue dog-like alien wearing an orange outfit, it had four arms and antennas sticking out of it's head. The blonde was about the brush past the little alien before it spoke, "Ven…? Mai…Terra…Ah-koo, wah…"

Ven froze in his tracks and glanced down at the little figure in shock, "w-what? You know Mai, Terra and Aqua?" He asked, his voice sounding a little choked from surprise.

Rather than answering him, the alien reached behind his back and pulled out what looked like a wayfiner, only it wasn't made by Aqua…the alien must have made it itself. It appeared to smile up at Ven, "fren…circle!" it exclaimed.

Ventus couldn't seem to shake away his surprise, "that's a wayfinder…" muttered, but before either of them could respond the ship shook again, startling the pair. The voice on the speakers appeared again,

"**The engines are under too much stress, we're risking an explosion!" **

The blonde cursed under his breath before he ran passed the alien, "What am I doing? There's no time!" He exclaimed, but once he noticed that the alien was following him he sighed, but he couldn't help the small smile that crept up on him as he thought about how Mai would've reacted to the cute little creature. He placed his hands on his knees, looking down at the alien. "No! You need to stay here. It's too dangerous." He said before turning on his heel and sprinted out of the room, leaving the little alien behind.

As Ventus ran through the corridors of the ship large doors dropped from the ceiling, most probably used as an emergency precaution, but Ventus growled in annoyance when he found himself surrounded by a hoarde of Unversed, he summoned his KeyBlade and prepared himself to fight.

A few minutes later after his battle, the breathless blonde advanced through corridors, but due to his lack of strength he had to lean against the wall. 'Mai…' his thoughts trailed off, 'I could really do with your help right now.' A saddened expression crossed his face as he carried on his way.

* * *

><p>Mai felt her numb body beginning to move as she forced her heavy lids to open. She felt her body resting on something hard, and when her eyes adjusted to the bright light she realized that she was laying on wood. She groaned as her body ached and brought her weak hands in front of her to push herself up into a sitting position.<p>

"What happened…?" She asked herself, rubbing the back of her head tenderly in order to soothe the mild pain there.

"It spoke!" A series of gasps and hushed words caught Mai's attention, and she finally decided to take in her surrounding, only to see that she was surrounded by large, smelly and poorly dressed men.

Mai froze in fear as all of the men stared at her in disbelieve, "Ventus…" she whispered, her voice choked from the panic that crept up from inside of her. Her gaze darted around her, only to find the blonde nowhere in sight.

"_Let go of me, Ven."_

'That's right,' she thought to herself as she remembered what had happened, but when did she manage to pass out, and just which world was she in? She tried to wrap her brain around what was happening before a tall slim man stepped toward her, he was clad in a long red coat, had long black curly covered with a hat and he had a hook in replacement of his right hand.

Mai stared at the hook with wide eyes as he pointed it towards her, causing her to swallow a large lump that formed in her throat. He smirked down at Mai, using his left hand to stroke at his narrow moustache, "alas, the mermaid lives!" He yelled in a croaky voice, turning to face the other men, earning loud cheers and whistles from each of them.

The brunette raised a brow, "mermaid?" She mumbled under her breath before she shook her head and attempted to stand up, but once she had balanced herself on both feet her left leg collapsed in agony. Mai cried out in pain as she fell to the floor, gently holding onto her ankle and rubbed it to try and soothe the pain.

She glanced up at the man clad in red who was kneeling in front of her, she tried her best to calm her nerves and keep her eyes from staring down at his hooked hand. "Where am I?" She asked, her voice coated in fear of the unknown.

The man stood up straight and walked away from her, "you're in Neverland, m'dear, and you have to privilege of being on my ship." He answered her. Mai glanced down at her hurt foot with a distant look on her face, "Neverland…ship…? Does that mean you're...pirates?" Mai asked, glancing up at the large audience of men that still surrounded her.

The man that she now assumed was the captain of the ship spun on his heel, holding his hooked hand in the air, "precisely! And we pirates have been given this rare opportunity to obtain a mermaid," he grinned down at the brunette in such a way that sent a shiver down Mai's spine.

'_Just how the hell am I gonna get myself out of this one?'_

* * *

><p>Ventus sprinted into what appeared to be the machinery bay of the space ship, he ran across the short bridge and toward the platform that sounded a large bright beacon. He spotted the Unversed almost immediately as it flew around the beacon, "end of the line!" He cried out, taking his stance and prepared himself to fight the large Unversed.<p>

Just as Ven prepared to lunge at the Unversed there was a small explosion from high in the ceiling, and down descended the little blue alien Ventus had met earlier. He looked down at the little alien with a small frown. "Hey! You shouldn't be here." He told the alien, but it simply ignored him and proceeded to 'bark' at the monster.

The blonde couldn't help but raise a brow, "what is it?" he asked, and in response the alien 'barked' again. Ventus decided to take that as a sign that the little alien was prepared to aid Ventus in battle, and so he decided to let it.

Ven launched himself at the Unversed, landing a few hits before he landed, and to his surprise he seen what appeared to be lasers hit the monster. He turned around, his cerulean eyes catching the blue alien with small gun-like weapons in his hands.

He smiled back at the little alien before he dove back in to battle.

After a good couple of minutes the Unversed was finally defeated and disappeared into a large cloud of black smoke. Ventus panted heavily as he made his KeyBlade disappear and doubled over, placing his hands on his knees in order to keep himself standing.

Even though the battle was over, the alien was still 'barking' at what appeared to be thin air, confusing Ventus as he raised a brow, "it's over!" He yelled. "Cut it out!" The blonde waltzed over to the little creature and tried to hold onto it's shoulders in attempt to calm it down, but the little creature managed to shrug him off so violently that Ventus fell onto his back.

He sat up, sending the alien a small frown, "what's gotten into you?" He asked. At his words the blue alien turned around, holding what appeared to be fragments of what was his wayfinder that he showed Ventus earlier. The alien looked at Ven, his ears back against his head at said something in a language the blonde didn't understand.

The blonde sent the alien a look of pity and sighed. "I see…your wayfinder broke." He said before he pulled a smile onto his lips and got to his feet. "Well, don't worry. Friendship's more than an object." He said reassuringly.

The alien glanced down at his broken wayfinder before it met Ven's eyes, "fren-ship…cir…cle?" It said, earning a grin and a nod from Ven. As if to ruin the moment on cue, the pair could hear heavy footsteps coming from behind them, catching their attention.

"Hmph, don't let the little mimic fool you." The large whale-looking alien's voice echoed through the machinery bay. Ven turned around, only to see the large alien pointing his gun at the pair of them. "You saw for yourself what kind of monster that thing is. All it knows how to do is hurt and destroy." He told Ven.

The blonde scoffed at his ignorance. "Monster? He helped me stop the monster!" He yelled in protest. The alien sent Ven a confused glance before he frowned, "you must have triggered some sort of mutation…hidden in the little freak's genetic coding." He assumed.

Ven snarled up at the alien before he heard little blue from behind him, "Ven…fren!" It exclaimed. The blonde nodded in response, "that's right. We are friends!" he said, glancing back at the orange clad alien with a smile before returning to glare at the huge whale.

The large alien simple held his finger over the trigger of his gun. "Better say your goodbyes now, because 626 is about to be destroyed!" He stated, but before he had the chance to pull the trigger little blue leapt up at the whale's face, sctratching and biting at his face. "Stop that!" The large alien cried out before he lost his balance, sending him to the floor.

Little blue turned to Ven and motioned him to follow him, saying something in a language that Ven didn't understand, but he understood what the little alien wanted. He nodded, following little blue as it ran through the space ship.

"Sound the alert! Prisoners on the loose!" The whale shouted out as Ven and little blue escaped. "Don't let them get away!"

Ven and little blue fled the spaceship, the blonde on his KeyBlade Glider, and the alien had stolen a small ship from the alien space ship. The pair of them sped away as fast as they could, trying to avoid the shots fired by the ships that chased after them.

Ven flew up to the large window of the red ship little blue was in and noticed him jumping about in excitement. "Where are we going?" Ventus asked him through the glass. The alien began fiddling with the buttons on the dash board of his vehicle before he pulled a lever.

The blonde noticed how the alien was glancing around the vehicle as if he was listening to something, he then saw how little blue was beginning to panic, he looked at Ven and started pounding on the glass.

"What is it, what's wrong?" He asked, but before he could get an answer the alien's ship sped off at the speed of sound. The sudden speed caused an eruption in the air around Ven, sending him flying off to god-knows where.

* * *

><p>Mai sighed to herself as she glared at the pirates that paid no attention to her from her position…which was being tied up against the masthead of the ship. She thought that it might have been a good idea to try and escape when none of the pirates were looking, and it would have actually worked if it wasn't for her sprained ankle.<p>

She pouted to herself as she tried to think of a way to get free of the ropes, she couldn't use her sword, seeing as it was laying on the other side of the ship on top of a barrel that was most probably either filled with rum or gunpowder.

The brunette waited until a pirate walked passed her so that she could get his attention. "Hey," she started, but the pirate simply ignored her and carried on walking, causing Mai to hiss under her breath. "I need to pee!" She screamed after the pirate, but from the other side of the ship a bucket was thrown at her, and by chance it managed to land on her head, blackening her vision.

"Use that, mermaid!" She heard one of the men yell. She sighed, "I'm not a MERMAID!" She bellowed, her voice echoing from under the bucket.


	13. Chapter 13: Reunited and goodbye

"_Tinker Bell…"_

"_Uh…he ain't movin'…"_

The voices echoed in Ven's head, waking his sleepy mind as he struggled to open his heavy eyes, groaning as he did so.

"_Let's try kickin' him!" _One of the voices spoke, urging Ventus to fully open his eyes, only to be greeted by a small girl dressed in green right in front of his face. "Wha-…" his voice trailed off before the tiny girl flew towards his face, startling the blonde. "Aah!" He yelped, instinctively rolling away to escape the girl.

But something stopped him from rolling, getting Ven's attention as he glanced upward. Standing above him were two young boys, one appeared to be dressed as a fox, and the other was dressed like a bear.

The boy in the fox outfit towered over Ventus, inspecting his face curiously, "who are you?" The kid asked. The blonde simply blinked at the pair for a while before he found his strength to stand. He patted the dust off of his clothes and smiled unsurely down at the oddly dressed kids, "name's Ventus. But everybody just calls me Ven." He said politely before he tried to wrap his brain around what just happened.

He felt his lips pout as he scratched his chin. "Guess, when I sat down to rest…I must have fallen asleep." He chuckled sheepishly at the boys before he realised that the pose he was pulling was similar to none other than Mai's thinking pose, causing the blonde's face to run hot as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"But where'd ya come from?" The boy dressed as a bear piped up. His question got Ventus thinking on whether or not he should tell them, "well, you see…" his voice trailed off, but before he could find his words a tiny sparkling glow of light flew passed him and around the boy's heads, getting their attention.

Ventus recognized the glow of light to be the small blonde girl wearing a leaf green dress with light pink wings, at the astonishment of seeing a real pixie Ven felt as though his jaw had hit the floor. The fairy grabbed the large ear on the Fox boy's suit and tugged at it.

The boy huffed with a childish pout, "Alright, alright, we're goin'!" He said, allowing the fairy to pull him by the ear. The boy dressed as the bear sent the blonde a goofy smile, "So long, Ven!" He exclaimed before following after his friend and the fairy.

Ventus watched as the trio began to take their leave before he got curious. "Hey, where are you guys off to?" He called after them as he started towards the trio.

The bear boy turned to Ven and grinned widely, "Tink saw a shootin' star and we're gonna go hunt it down!" He yelled in excitement. At his words Ventus felt his heart race, "a shooting star?" He repeated. "Mind if I come along?"

The fox boy chuckled, turning to Ven, "'course not. But ya gotta agree to follow us!" He told the blonde who came to stand in front of them. Bear boy held his fingers to his temples as though he was trying to think, "yeah, it's uh…right over…" His voice trailed off as the fairy, which Ventus had assumed was called 'Tink', flew around the two boys dramatically before she started off down a dirt trail, causing the bear boy to point after her. "That-a way! By the Indian Camp!" He bellowed.

Him and the fox boy turned to follow after Tink, "ready, men? Forward March!" The fox ordered as they started after the tiny girl. Ventus stared at the back of the trio before he glanced at his surroundings, noticing nothing but endless ocean on his right, and to his left were large cliffs, allowing the blonde to assume that he was on some kind of island.

His cerulean orbs stared off into the ocean with a sense of longing, "Mai…" his quiet voice trailed off, a frown tugging at his brows, "let me know where you are." He whispered, pulling his green way finder out from his trouser pocket, staring down at the glass star intently.

"Hey, you comin' or not?!" the bear boy's voice echoed in Ven's ears, catching his attention as he glanced up seeing the trio waiting for him at the end of the road. "Yeah!" The blonde called back to them as he ran after them, stuffing the way finder back into his pocket for safe keeping.

As he put the way finder away he couldn't help but feel a small box in his pocket with it. When he reached the boys and the fairy he walked behind them and pulled out the box, seeing a little, beaten up wrapped box in his hand. "Where…?"

_"Hey, hey..." Ventus cooed, wrapping his arms around Mai's small frame and allowed her to quietly sob into his shoulder for a while before he led her into his room, shutting the door behind them. "What's up with you lately? You seem really depressed." he said as Mai sat down on his bed. She glanced up at the blonde and shook her head, "N-Nothing, I've just been a little confused, is all. I'll be fine by tomorrow." she answered, averting his gaze that was filled with worry as he sat next to her._

_A fairly long silence passed between the pair before a light bulb switched on above Ventus' head. "Hey, maybe this'll cheer you up." Ven suggested, getting Mai's attention. He reached over to his bed side table and opened the draw to reveal two boxes about the same size, one covered in sparkly-blue wrapping paper and the other in green. "What's that?" Mai asked, hovering over his shoulder to get a better look. When she saw Ventus pick up the green box, she grinned. "It's nothing." He answered slyly and handed Mai the box._

_The brunette took it without a second's hesitation and examined the package, "Nothing, huh?" Mai question, sending the boy a raised brow as he nodded. "Then why does it say 'Mai's birthday' on the bottom?" she asked smugly, watching as Ven's face turned a light shade of pink. "Aw, you're blushing." she cooed, pinching his cheek. Ventus swatted her hand away and pouted cutely, "Just open it." he said in a winy tone, Mai giggled before she ripped away at the wrapping paper and took the lid off of the black box that was inside of it._

_Ventus smiled softly as Mai stared at the present with wide eyes, but after a while her silence was beginning to make Ven worry, and the smile on his face faltered, "do you not like it?" He asked disappointed. It took him so long to make it, and it would kill him to know that Mai didn't even like it. The brunette shook her head and grinned, pulling out the necklace that was inside the box, she held it at eye level and stared at it in disbelief, the chain was twisted leather and the actual charm was a real rounded emerald, glittering in the sun that shone through the window. It was the exact same shade as her eyes, "Ven...I-I don't know what to say." Mai exclaimed, Ventus felt his lips tug back into a smile, "Just say 'thank you'." he answered with a shrug._

_"Thanks, kiddo." Mai said softly and leaned over to place a light kiss on his cheek. It wasn't the first time she'd done it, but whenever she did, Ventus always seemed to blush. Regardless, the blonde took the necklace and spun Mai around, she lifted her long brown hair and Ventus placed the leather around her neck, joining it at the lock and aloud the emerald to hang loosely over where her heart was._

_Mai looked down at the jewel with a smile before she turned around and caught Ven in a hug, which he happily returned with a chuckle. They sat like that for what seemed like forever before Mai's eyes caught sight of the blue box, a sly grin crossed over her soft features as she carefully reached out for it, but Ven noticed what she was doing and quickly grabbed the present before she had the chance to take it and held it high over his head._

_"Aw," Mai pouted, looking up at Ventus with her killer puppy-dog eyes. "No." was all he said, a dark blush staining his face. "Just let me see what it is." Mai begged, reaching up to grab it, but the blonde pushed her back, he shook his head with a grin. "Oh, come on...__Please__." she pleaded._

_Ventus simply ignored her begging and stuffed the box into his pocket, "There's no way you're getting this." he explained with a smug look on his face._

"Oh, that's how it got there…" Ventus mumbled to himself, mildly astonished at how he hadn't noticed it before now and how it hadn't fallen out of his pocket, but with that thought Ventus remembered just how deep his trouser pockets were.

While the blonde was lost in his trail of thought he didn't realise that the trio in front of him stopped walking in front of an oddly shaped tree. It wasn't until an unfamiliar sound of what seemed to be a bird call reached his ears that he was snapped back to his senses, stuffing the box back inside his pocket.

He noticed that the young boys looked up into the sky, and so he followed suit, catching sight of a boy that appeared to be a few years younger than him _flying_ around above them.

"Peter Pan!" The boys chanted before the boy flew down towards them, inspecting Ventus carefully as he floated around the blonde. Ven noticed that the boy had bright orange hair and brown eyes, and along with being dressed in green he also wore a pointy green hat with a red feather attached to it.

"Who do we have here?" The flying boy questioned in curiosity, "never seen you before." He stated. The blonde gestured toward himself, "I'm Ventus. Call me Ven." He told the young boy, who he assumed was called 'Peter Pan'.

Peter landed on his feet and scratched his chin in thought, "well…if you say so." He smiled before walking passed Ven toward the two younger boys. "Ten-shun!" He bellowed.

At his words the two younger boys stood up perfectly straight, holding a flat palm to the side of their head in a salute. Pan nodded in approval as he turned to his side, pacing back and forth in front of the boys, "now then, men. I don't suppose you'd wanna capture some real pirate treasure?" He asked them.

The bear boy gawked at the older male, "real pirate treasure?!" He repeated in disbelief as the fox boy nodded, "sure!" Peter crossed his arms over his chest, sending them a smug look. "Well, guess who caught sight of Hook right when he was stashing his treasure?" He asked rhetorically before standing to a halt, facing the animal clad boys. "Whaddaya say we sneak in and grab it?"

The younger boys chanted, jumping about in excitement. "Oh boy! Let's go!" but at their words Tink flew over to them, kicking them on the nose with her small feet. The boys let out their own cries of pain, frowning at the fairy as she flew in front of Pan, causing the orange haired boy to sigh, "Tinker Bell, what's gotten into you?" He asked her.

Ventus stepped forward after having enough of watching the scene from the side lines, "We were all supposed to go hunt for a shooting star together." He explained to Peter, but the boy simply scoffed, "forget that, pirate treasure is way more fun. Besides, I heard Hook boasting about having caught a mermaid when he was stashing his goods." He said with a wide grin before he turned to Tinker Bell. "Tink, you're comin' with us!" He told her, but the fairy simply crossed her arms over her shoulder and flew passed the boy, causing him to grunt. "Well, that's no way to respond to an invitation." He pouted before turning to Ventus. "C'mon, Ven, you're a better sport than her, right?" He asked hopefully.

The blonde simply sighed, "I'd love to join you, but…first I wanna find that shooting star." He told Peter, hoping that he'd take it better than when he was turned down by Tink. 'Maybe that shooting star was Mai.' He thought to himself, a glint of hope flickering in his heart.

Peter simply bowed his head, letting Ventus take his leave as the blonde followed after the fairy.

* * *

><p>Mai could only stare into the blackness that was inside of the bucket on her head, feeling the hours tick by at an agonizing pace. 'I wonder how long they're gonna leave me like this.' She thought to herself as she fiddled with the ropes, trying to find a way to loosen them, but to no avail.<p>

* * *

><p>Ventus followed Tinker Bell into what he assumed was the Indian Camp the young boys spoke of earlier. There were tents dotted all around the cliff side and a few totem poles here and there, and in the center of the camp was a small fire made of sticks.<p>

As the two walked further into the camp Ventus noticed something in the corner of his eye. As he made his way over to it he raised a brow, "Mickey's Star Shard?" He thought allowed in confusion, recognizing the blue star shaped object.

He sprinted over to pick up the Star Shard, but before he had a chance to reach it a tall man dressed in a long red coat and a short, fat man wearing a blue and white striped shirt appeared from behind one of the tents. The tall man picked up the shard in what appeared to be a hooked hand as he let out a croaky laugh.

Tinker Bell rushed toward the man, most likely to take the Star Shard from him, but before she had the chance the man dressed in red quickly grabbed her with his remaining hand. He held them both in the air as if they were prizes, "a shooting star, a pixie _and_ a mermaid! Must be me birthday," he boasted.

Ventus summoned his KeyBlade and took his stance, "let Tinker Bell go!" He warned, but the man merely scoffed at him, "one of Peter Pan's brats. Well, tell that cowardly sparrow that if he wants his precious Tinker Bell back, he'd best meet me at Mermaid Lagoon!" He said before he ran away from Ven, the little fat man quickly following him.

The blonde quickly followed the pair, "stop!" He called after them, but he was stopped in his tracks when a horde of Unversed spawned, surrounding him. Ventus cursed under his breath as he readied himself to defeat the Unversed.

* * *

><p>"Which one of you pin heads put a bucket over the mermaid's head?!" A familiar voice bellowed, causing Mai to glance up at where she thought the voice was coming from. She grunted in annoyance at the voice before she felt the bucket being removed from her head, the sudden light flowing into her eyes causing her to squint.<p>

When her eyes finally adjusted to the light she saw a short fat man wearing a blue and white striped shirt holding the bucket that was on her head, she sent him a small smile as a thank you before the Captain walked up from behind him. Mai noticed that in his hand he held what appeared to be a fairy, causing her to gawk as the little blonde girl sparkled in the pirates hand. Her eyes then travelled to what the Captain was holding in his hooked hand, causing a gasp to emit from her throat.

"Mickey's Star Shard…" he voice trailed off, catching the pirates' attention, "where'd you get that?!" She hissed at the tall man. The Captain simply smirked down at her before glancing over at the shard in his hook, "'Mickey's Star Shard', eh?" He repeated curiously.

"Cap'n, isn't that what that blonde kid said earlier?" The fat pirate holding the bucket asked, turning toward the man. The Captain simply huffed, "Yes, one of Peter Pan's brats…no matter," his voice carried on talking, but Mai felt her heart beginning to race as she blocked out the Captain's voice.

'Ventus…' she thought to herself before she perked up, "I have to get out of here." She mumbled to herself, but her voice reached the Captain's ears, causing him to stop what he was saying and turn to Mai with a raised brow.

The brunette began to feel panic built up inside of her, 'what if he doesn't find me…what if he leaves this world to keep looking for me!' the painful thoughts were endless as they rushed through her head. "I have to get off this ship!" She yelled, trying to push herself to stand, but the second she put pressure on her ankle she collapsed again.

Her sudden actions caused the man dressed in red and a few of his lackeys to burst out with laughter. Mai watched as the Captain shoved the small fairy into an empty lantern and hung her on a hook next to Mai's head, she sent the fairy a quick glance, watching as the blonde stared over at her, placing her hands up against the cold glass.

Mai sent her a weak smile before she bowed her head. "Ven…please help me…" her voice trailed off as she could only sit where she was, her heart racing with fear as her body trembled.

* * *

><p>Ventus ran out of the Indian camp, glancing around in search of the pirates, "I lost them…" he sighed in disappointment, bowing his head before the sun glittering through the leaves of the palm trees above him caught his eye, bringing back a memory as it flashed through his mind.<p>

He could clearly remember him, Mai, Terra and Aqua on the summit the night before the Mark of Mastery Exam, he remembered the way they all laughed and the fun they had that night. 'Will it ever be the same?' He thought to himself, feeling his chest tighten around his heart as he placed a loose hand over his chest.

"Look out below!" Peter Pan's voice rang through Ventus' ears, snapping him out of his day dream as he glanced up at Peter, who was flying over to him, "Peter, help!" Ventus exclaimed as he turned to Pan, "Tinker Bells' been pixie-napped!" He said.

Peter felt a frown tug at his brows as he landed, averting his gaze to the floor as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Then I'm too late…Hook's gonna pay for this!" He warned. Ventus couldn't fight away at the guilt that built up in his gut for letting the pirate take Tink.

"He said to meet him at Mermaid Lagoon." Ven told him.

Peter thought carefully before he placed his hands on his hips, scowling as he thought about the pirate. "Gotta be an ambush. Hmph, that old codfish thinks he clever." He spat before he turned on his heel and began to fly away.

Ventus started after him, "Hey, I'm coming too!" He called after Peter. The orange haired boy turned to him with a toothy smile, "well, we have to hurry. Can you keep up?" He asked. His words caused Ventus to chuckle, "You bet!" He exclaimed before the pair of them headed toward Mermaid Lagoon.

* * *

><p>Mai didn't bother to glance around the ship as the pirates walked passed her in a hurry, so instead she did all that she could do…sit there helplessly and hope that Ventus finds her. It was a painful wait, but one that she knew would be worth it.<p>

"Peter Pan ahoy!" Called out the blue and white clad pirate, "man the Long Tom, and…fire!" He yelled as he shoved his fingers in his ear, cowering over before a large explosion erupted his ears. Mai jumped from the loud echo as it painfully rang through her ears. 'Are they firing cannons?' she wondered as more explosions stung her ears. She watched in pain as the Captain waltzed over to the short pirate and snatched the telescope from his small hands, taking a glance through it.

"Ah, and the little brat's with him too." He hummed to himself, smirking in delight.

His words caused fear to grip tightly at Mai's heart as she stared off at the horizon wide eyes. "No…Ven…**VENTUS!**" She screamed, startling the whole ship as they turned to face her, The Captain scowled at her as Mai felt tears stinging in her eyes. "**STOP IT, PLEASE!**" She begged with a choked sob, but before she could yell anymore the Captain placed the bucket back over her head.

"We don't need any of that now, do we…" he mused before walking around his ship. Mai sobbed under the bucket, her eyes wide with fear as she listened to the cannons firing over and over again. "This can't be happening…" She whispered.

* * *

><p>Ventus barely managed to dodge the cannon balls as they were fired, causing the blonde to summon his KeyBlade as he searched his surroundings. "Cannon fire? Where's it coming from?" He asked, looking up at Peter.<p>

The orange haired boy pointed out to the ocean, "on the water! Over there!" He exclaimed. Ventus followed his finger and spotted a pirate ship far off the coast of the island. The pair could only run from the cannon fire, hiding behind a cliff before a familiar sparkle of light shone in front of them.

Peter grinned happily, "Tink, it's you! And you're all right!" He let out a soft chuckle, feeling the weight being lifted off of his chest as the fairy came the float in front of him, flailing her arms about and making odd gestures. Peter Pan watched her for a second before he raised a brow, "What? The mermaid set you free?" He asked, but before Tink could reply a cannon ball pierced through the cliff above their head.

Peter looked out to the ship with a frown, "hold on, I gotta stop that cannon!" He exclaimed irritably. Ventus nodded in understanding, holding up his KeyBlade. "Okay, I'll go after hook!" He reassured Pan, earning a nod from him before he glanced at Tinker Bell, "right. Tink, if you would." He smiled at her politely.

The pixie nodded at him before she made her way over to Ventus, flying circles around him and shaking off the sparkly dust around her. Ventus stared in awe as Tink flew around him before she went back over to Peter Pan's side, "what…?" The blonde started.

Pan grinned, "It's pixie dust! Bet you feel lighter now, don'tcha?" He asked, sending Ventus a quick wink before he flew up into the sky and in the direction of the pirate ship. Ventus watched as Pan left before he made a bee-line for Mermaid lagoon.

A few minutes later Ventus finally reached the lagoon, seeing Hook standing on the little island in the center of the water. He cautiously approached when he could see Hook muttering something to himself, "at last, that scurvy brat will never trouble me again!" The pirate exclaimed with a laugh.

Ventus chuckled lightly to himself. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, Hook!" He yelled smugly from behind the pirate as he summoned his KeyBlade. Hook turned quickly on his heel, landing his eyes on the blonde with a loose jaw, "swoggle me eyes!" he cried. "No, don't tell me!" He started as he ran toward the edge of the island, pulling out his telescope as he looked out to his ship.

Through the lens he could see none other than Peter Pan flying around his ship, carrying the mermaid in his arms. Hook felt his body beginning to twitch with anger as he threw his telescope onto the rocky floor. "Blast that Peter Pan!" He croaked before turned to Ven, a look of pure anger on his face as he sheathed his thin sword, aiming it at Ventus.

However, that stern look on his face soon vanished when a familiar ticking noise began to ring through his ears. He searched his soundings in fear, "that sound…" his voice trailed off before he glanced over his shoulder, seeing a large crocodile in the waters staring up at him with pure black eyes. Hook flinched away, "no! Not again! S-stay away from me!" He cried, waving his hooked hand at the crocodile as he turned to leave, only to find Ven blocking his path as the blonde wore a smirk, "I don't think so!" He chanted.

Hook scowled at the blonde before he threw a swing at the blonde, to which Ventus easily blocked, grinning up at the pirate in red.

* * *

><p>After a few minutes Ventus managed to toss Hook into the water of the lagoon, causing him to panic as he laid eyes on the crocodile in front of him, staring him down. Hook yelped out and he practically jumped out of the water, using its surface to run out to his ship, the animal hot on his tail.<p>

The blonde watched the scene with a smirk of amusement as he put his KeyBlade away, turning to walk out of the lagoon.

"VENTUS!" the familiar voice caused Ven's stomach to twist in delight as he turned on his heel to look out to the water, where he caught sight of the young boys dressed as animals in a boat heading towards him, and Peter Pan flying beside them with Tinker Bell hovering over his head. In Pan's arms he could see a flash of red waving wildly at him, making his heart skip a beat as he laid eyes on her.

"MAI!" He called out, waving over at her as the group came up to the island he was standing on. Peter landed and allowed Mai to get to her feet, she refused to take her eyes off of the blonde as she took a step toward him, only for her foot to collapse from under her, but before she could hit the floor Ventus quickly caught her in a bone crushing hug, which the green eyed girl happily returned with a light laugh. Ven enjoyed the way her small frame fit against his perfectly, almost as if she was made for him, and he had longed just to take in her familiar scent.

Peter watched the scene as the two young boys got out of their little ship and lifted a treasure chest onto the rock. The orange haired boy smiled widely at Mai and Ventus, "turns out when Hook mentioned something about a mermaid, he meant her." He told Ven.

The blonde glanced up at Peter with a grin, "thank you." He said with a small nod, keeping a hand around Mai's waist as she pulled away from him to see the group.

The boy dressed as a bear looked over to the treasure chest, "look what we brought!" He exclaimed in excitement, soon followed by the fox boy as he jumped in the air. "It's a pirate's treasure chest!" he laughed.

Ventus looked down at the wooden chest with wide eyes, "real treasure?" He asked in disbelief. His reaction earned him a chuckle from Pan as he crossed his arms over his chest smugly, "yup! The same chest I told ya about. We snatched it right from Hook's hiding place." He boasted before he knelt down, using both hands to lift up the heavy lid as he looked inside, "huh? How come it's empty?" He questioned.

The animal boys looked down in shame, "uh, sorry, but…we losted all the treasures." The bear boy mumbled loud enough for Peter to hear it.

Mai felt Ventus sigh, causing her to look up at him as he spoke. "Oh, well…that's too bad." He grumbled, feeling sorry for Peter and the boys.

The orange haired boy stood up straight, his chin held high, "aw, who needs it? It was prob'ly just full of dumb old jewels or doubloons or something' anyways." He smiled down at the younger boys. The fox boy nodded, "we could just put what we treasure in there instead – if ya wanna?" he suggested.

Peter chuckled down at the fox boy and patted his head, "yeah, that's perfect! Instead of fillin' it up with jewels and gold and stuff, we'll put in what's truly special to us. The real riches!" He exclaimed.

After a few minutes Pan and the younger boy had already put in a few wooden swords and toy bows and arrows. Peter finally turned to Ventus, who was still holding Mai upright with a hand around her. "What're you puttin' in, Ven?" He asked.

The blonde seemed lost for words for a moment as he looked down at Mai, "no…I can't put you in there." He mumbled, causing Mai to stifle a laugh at him. He smiled down at her before he reached behind him, pulling out the nostalgic wooden replica of Terra's KeyBlade that the older man had given to Ventus a long time ago, "how 'bout this?" He asked, holding it up to his face.

Mai blinked at the wooden KeyBlade before she looked at Ven, "where in hell where you hiding that?" She asked in astonishment. Ventus simply chuckled sheepishly. "Hm, what is it?" Peter piped up from beside them, catching their attention.

Ventus glanced over at him briefly before returning his gaze to the KeyBlade replica. "It's…just something one of my best friends gave me." He said, a small smile tugging at his lips. Mai stared at Ven's face, looking deep at the expression over his delicate features.

Peter let out a low whistle. "So, it's like a keepsake…you sure you wanna part with somethin' that special?" He asked, unsure of Ventus. The blonde nodded, a grin on his face. "Yup, I don't need it if I've got Terra and Aqua." At his words Mai couldn't help but pout at him before the blonde looked down at her with a soft smile, "and I can't forget about you, Mai…all of our best memories are still ahead."

Mai felt a blush stain her cheeks as she averted her gaze from his captivating cerulean orbs and glanced over at Peter, who nodded in understanding, "alright, then. Next time ya visit, we'll have an even bigger chest waitin'. Enough for all of those treasures and lots more." He said.

Ven turned to him and nodded, "okay. It's a deal." He said before placing his wooden KeyBlade in the chest and turned to Mai, "what about you?" he asked her.

Mai stuttered, trying to look around for something to put in the chest before he eyes landed on the emblem around her waist. She knew that emblem meant a lot to her, seeing as it resembled her home. The brunette smiled softly to herself as she overlooked the memories shared back home before she tugged at the emblem, holding it up to show everybody. "I'll put this in," she giggled lightly, earning nods from the boys around her before she tossed the emblem into the chest.

Peter was about the close the chest before Tinker Bell flew over, carrying Mickey' Star Shard over the chest with difficulty. Ven blinked, "oh, wait, Tink-" he piped up, catching the fairy's attention. "I'm pretty sure that belongs to a friend of ours," he exclaimed, holding his palm out. "Do you think maybe I could hang onto it?" He asked with a soft smile.

Tinker Bell looked at him before shaking her head with a deep frown, preparing to fly away with the shard, "now Tink!" Peter piped up, his voice firm making the fairy stop in her tracks. She rolled her eyes and turned, flying back over to Ventus and grudgingly placed the star shard in Ven's hand.

He nodded at Tinker Bell, "thank you." He smiled before Tinker Bell flew away, crossing her arms as she did so.

* * *

><p><em>Five hours later…<em>

"Cure…" Ven's soft voice echoed through Mai's ears as he gently held her foot, a green light emitting around her ankle before it disappeared. The blonde looked up at her with a smile, "does that feel better?" He asked.

Mai nodded shyly at him, twisting her foot around in circles to check that it didn't hurt anywhere. It was nightfall by now and the two had managed to find a nice spot under the trees besides a huge waterfall where the moon shone brightly down on the two.

Ven couldn't help but stare at her delicate face for a while before he let out a sigh, reaching out and pulled Mai into him. He wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his face into her neck, "I never should've let you go." His voice cracked as the tightening in his chest ached him.

Mai was shocked by his sudden actions, but when her brain wrapped around what was happening she wrapped her arms around her neck, "I thought you were dead." She admitted with a whisper, remembering back on the loud explosions of the cannon fire. She felt tears sting in her eyes as she lay her head on his shoulder.

Ven could feel her hot and uneven breath on his ear, causing him to flinch and pull away from her, his blush partly hidden by the night. He sent Mai a soft smile as a single tear slipped down her cheek, he reached forward and wiped it away with his thumb, "…to think that I almost left without you." He frowned, cupping Mai's cheek with his hand.

The brunette smiled at him, looking up at him through her bangs, "but you didn't." She sniffled, finding herself captivated by Ventus' bright blue orbs. She noticed how he stared back, his face growing softer and redder by the second.

Ven could feel his mind beginning to melt away the longer he stared at Mai's emerald eyes, but he quickly managed to regain his consciousness with a shake off his head before he jumped to his feet, a sly grin playing on his lips, "hey, I have something to show you." He exclaimed as he held his hand out for Mai.

The brunette glanced between his hand and his face before she sheepishly took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet as he held her close, his smile refusing to falter, "you ready?" He asked. Mai nodded at him, unsure of what he was planning to do before he ducked down, snaking and arm under her knees and back as he picked her up.

Mai let out a small squeak of surprise and wrapped her arms tightly around Ven's neck, pulling her so close that she could feel his breath on her cheek, but she had no time to care about it as Ven started toward the cliff's edge, she gawked at the large drop beneath.

"Ven, what're you doing?" She asked, looking up at the boy with a mixture of shock and fear playing on her features. She felt her gut tighten as Ventus continued to smile at her, chuckling at her reaction. "One…" his voice trailed off.

Mai stared down at the drop with wide eyes, "no, Ven. Don't be so stupid-" she began to panic.

"Two…"

"Ven please I'm begging you just put me down!"

"Three!"

Mai let out a high scream as she tucked her face into Ven's neck, feeling him jump off the side of the cliff, "Ventus!" She cried, but when she heard the blonde laughing from above her she slowly pulled her face away from him and glanced down, only to see Ven's feet hovering over a 100 ft drop.

Mai stuttered as she clung onto Ven's neck tighter, but her actions only caused Ven to laugh harder. She stared up at him with wide eyes, "V-Ven…how're you…?" She pondered.

The blonde seized his laughter and smiled softly, "pixie dust." He answered with a small shrug as if it were nothing. Mai continued to stare at him with a look of pure disbelief before he turned, flying back over to the waterfall and hovered over the large pond made by the water. He gently released Mai legs and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist to keep her from falling.

The brunette stared around her as Ventus began to fly in slow circles over the pond. "Ven…" she started, looking up to meet his gaze, only to find him staring down at her with a soft, yet concentrated face. She feel her heart race inside of her chest as he pulled one arm away from her waist, tracing it down her arm until he reached her hand, intertwining their fingers together as he spun slowly.

Mai smiled up at him until hundreds of beads of lights began to come from in the trees. The brunette watched in astonishment as the fireflies began to dance around her and Ven, flickering their lights and casting a heavenly glow on their faces.

"Mai…" Ventus started, catching Mai's attention as she met his gaze. He took a deep breath, trying to find the courage in his pounding hear to speak. "There's something that I've been meaning to ask you," he said, noticing how Mai's eyes widened slightly.

The brunette could barely hold herself back any longer, feeling his hot breath on her lips and his heart beat pounding against her chest was beginning to drive her insane. "Can it wait?" She asked, not giving Ventus the time to answer before she locked her lips onto his.

Mai's sudden actions surprised Ven, causing him to lose his concentration and the both of them fell, landing with a big splash in the shallow pond beneath them. The sudden action scared off the fireflies, leaving the pair in only the moonlight as they sat up in the water, coughing and heaving out the water that they accidentally breathed in when they fell.

When Mai caught her breath back she stood up in the pond, glancing down at her feet, "sorry…I shouldn't have done that." She whispered, catching Ven by surprise. He glanced up at her in confusion, seeing her embarrassed eyes look at him through her bangs before she turned on her heel and made her way out of the pond.

Ventus stuttered, standing to his feet and chased after her out of the pond. "Wait, Mai-" Ven was alarmed when Mai stopped walking and turned to face him, causing him to bump into her, sending the pair of them to the floor.

The blonde groaned in pain as he and Mai collided with the floor, lifting himself up onto his elbows he felt his face flush when he looked down at Mai's face, noticing the proximity between their faces as the brunette winced in pain.

"Mai…" at the sound of her name the brunette opened her eyes, her own face flushing at seeing how close their faces were, but she didn't really have time to react before Ventus leaned down, his lips brushing smoothly over her own as his eyes fluttered to a close.

She gripped at the grass underneath her in attempt to calm her racing heart, but to no avail. She could feel her heart racing inside her ribcage to the point where she believed her chest would burst open.

Mai tried to close her body up into a ball to try and fight off the nerves that burst through her body, but it wasn't until then that she realised that Ventus was laying between her legs. The brunette let out a small breath before she found the strength to gently lifted her head, closing the remaining space between them, her eyes closing as she admired the way his lips fit perfectly over hers.

She reached up, cupping Ven's face in her hands in attempt to bring her closer, to which he obliged, pushing against her harder to deepen the kiss. Mai couldn't help but let a small sigh of pleasure pass through her nose as Ventus kissed her, tracing butterfly kisses over her hot lips.

Ventus bit back a groan as he felt Mai press her body against him, urging him to go further. He sucked on her bottom lip, grazing his teeth over the soft flesh. Mai gasped at the sudden sensation, allowing the blonde access as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, massaging it against her own. Mai let out a soft moan at the feel of his wet appendage in her mouth, causing him to smile into the passionate kiss.

The brunette was beginning to feel herself melt away, loving the way he moved his lips, his tongue, the way he pushed up against her, Mai barely noticed when Ventus took her right hand from his face and laid it down beside her head, massaging her hand using his thumb before he began to slide his hand down to her wrist and down her arm, gently grazing his fingers over the bump on her skin.

Mai was finally snapped back into reality as Ventus held her arm, causing her to pull away from the kiss and hold her arm against her chest, staring up at Ven with a look of pure fear on her face before she briskly pushed Ventus away from her and shuffled away, panting heavily from the lack of breath as she stared at him wide eyed.

Ven sent her a soft smile as he reached out for her arm that she held to her chest, "Mai, it's okay," he started, but Mai pulled her arm out of his reach, causing him to sigh as he crawled towards her, taking her by the shoulders, "I know about that scar."

Mai felt her breath catch in her throat at his words, trying her best to hide the fear that showed in her eyes. She continued to stare at Ven as tears began to build in her eyes, 'he know…that means he knows about Kura…' her thoughts were racing as Ventus slid his hand down her right arm, removing her arm guard to show her forearm as he held the clothing in his hand.

Ventus gawked at the skin, sure he had known about the scar, but he had no idea about the extent of it. He stared at the line that traced all the way from her wrist to her elbow, he grazed his finger over the tender skin before he looked up at Mai, seeing her face twist in pain as a tear rolled down her cheek. He let out a silent sigh, "how did it happen?" He asked.

Mai sniffled as more tears fell, terrified that Ven would be upset with her, but there was no way she could tell him. She looked down as she lightly shook her head. "I can't tell you," she whispered, "I promised."

Ventus felt his lips quiver, but kept a straight face, "was that promise to Kura?" He asked, his voice stern. His words captured Mai's eyes as she glanced up at him through glassy emerald orbs. "How…?"

The blonde looked back down at her scar, "When we were back in Radiant Garden…Scrooge was telling me about him." He whispered before snapping his gaze back up at the green eyed beauty, "who's Kura?" He asked, demanding to know.

Mai simply shook her head again, unsure of whether or not she should tell him. She heard Ventus sigh with annoyance before he released her arm and sat back, propping his arm over his raised knee and stared at the brunette threw his bangs. Mai felt as though her heart was being ripped out of her chest just by seeing the look Ven was sending her.

She couldn't bare it anymore, "Kura is…" she saw as Ven raised his head to see her clearly, staying quiet to let her continue, "Kura is…the person who's…there for me when nobody else is." She finished, gazing down at her arm with a small sob. "Atleast, that's how it started out, and then we started getting closer…becoming good friends."

The blonde felt a sad frown pull at his brows, "so…those times when I wouldn't be able to find you in the castle…?" he asked, not bothering to finish his question. Mai nodded, answering him, "he would take me to other worlds, let me see new things and meet new people. That's how Scrooge know me…" she held up her scarred arm, "I got this from trying to save the old duck from an Unversed. Me and Kura had a bit of a falling out so I was wandering around by myself when I saw him in need of help…Kura flipped out when he saw the state that I was in and started panicking, so he bandaged me up and I swore not to tell anybody about it." She finished.

Ventus nodded, causing Mai to sob, "do you hate me now?" she asked, tears streaming down her face. The blonde let out a small sigh before she shook his head, sending her a sad smile before he reached over, pulling her into him by her upper arms. "I could never hate you," he whispered into her ear softly as he stroked the back of her head.

At his words Mai looked up at him, sniffling, "you don't?" She asked, earning a shake of Ventus' head. She wrapped her arms tightly around Ven's neck and nuzzled her face into his soft skin, her sudden action causing the blonde to blush lightly as he snaked his arms loosely around her waist and rested his head on hers.

"Mai, I-" as if on cue a large black portal appeared in front of Ventus, but before he had time to react he felt Mai being pulled from his grasp, and within the matter of a second she was pulled into the portal, the blackness disappearing as quick as it came.

"Mai!" Ven called out, reaching out for her as the portal disappeared, staring of into the forest ahead of him with wide eyes. "What…" His voice was quickly cut off when a large bright light emitted from Ven's pocket where he was holding Mickey' Star Shard, and within the blink of an eye he was shot off into space at the speed of light.

* * *

><p>Mai gasped in shock as her back was slammed against something hard, her eyes taking in the pure blackness around her before a familiar face came into view, smiling softly down at her, "Kura…"<p>

The boy's smile only widened at the sound of his name before he lowered his head, grazing his lips across her ear, breathing against her soft skin. "I'm sorry to have interrupted the moment, but I refuse to let you be his." He whispered in a low voice before he kissed at her jaw line just under her ear.

His words stunned Mai, making her heart race uncomfortably in her chest. Kura noticed her sudden reaction and hovered over her, his legs on either side of her waist as he stared down at Mai through his amber orbs.

"Run away with me," he stated simply. Mai stuttered as she met his gaze, staring up at the ebony haired boy with wide eyes. "Kura…I-…I can't-" she started, but before she could finish she caught Kura's face twist in agony.

"Please," he begged, clenching his eyes shut as he shook his head, "I can't go through with anymore…I-...I can't risk losing you!" he yelled, panic evident in his voice.

The brunette looked up at Kura with sadness in her eyes, however confusion lingered in her mind, "you can't go through with what?" She asked, scared to know the answer. She watched as Kura sat back on her hips, his back slouched as he looked down at his twiddling fingers, "It wasn't supposed to go this far. I wasn't supposed to get so close to you…I wasn't supposed to...fall for you…" His quiet voice echoed through Mai's ears.

The brunette shuffled herself out from underneath Kura and stared at him with a small frown from confusion, "Kura, did you just…" Mai sat there, dumbfounded as Kura nodded, glancing up at her through his black bangs.

She was utterly lost for words, staring at the boy in shock as she stuttered over her words. Kura sent her a weak smile before he crawled over to her, snaking his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her closer, closing the space between them, "I'm sorry…I'm doing this for your own safety." He whispered before he pressed his lips against Mai's, soaking in her sweet taste and the feel of her soft, plump lips.

The brunette was slightly confused about what he was talking about until she felt a hand gently graze over her chest, the sudden touch caused Mai to gasp before she felt Kura take a hold of the sashes around her chest and pulled at them, ripping the cloth from her small frame and tossed it to the side.

Mai tried to pull away, but Kura kept her in place, gently pushing her down so that she laid on her back. Kura grabbed a hold of her hands and intertwined their fingers, hushing Mai with his lips before he kissed along her jaw line.

The brunette bit back a moan at the sensation as Kura moved onto the delicate skin of her neck, nipping away at the soft flesh, showering it in kisses before he opened his mouth, sucking on the skin, licking it over every now and then to calm the hiss that passed Mai's lips from the pain of him sucking on her skin so roughly.

When he was done Kura pulled away, inspecting the dark purple bruise he had marked on her before he kissed it tenderly. When he lifted himself, Kura stared down at Mai, seeing her cheeks tinted red and her breathing uneven.

"Beautiful…" he whispered with a smile before leaning down to give Mai one last kiss before he stood to his feet, turning around from the brunette. Mai sat up and reached out for him, "Kura!" She called, causing the boy to stop in his tracks, allowing Mai to speak. "What's your…real name?" She asked.

The ebony haired boy turned to face her with a sad smile, a single tear rolling down his cheek as he opened his mouth to speak. "The name you gave to me…that's my real name." His voice was like a distant echo to Mai as light flooded her vision.

"_Goodbye Mai…I really was lucky to love you."_

"Kura!" She called out, but she got no response as she had to cover her eyes to block them from the bright light. When the light died down Mai opened her eyes and moved her hands away from her face, only to find that Kura was nowhere in sight. Instead she found herself sat in front of a tall narrowly shaped tower, the sky looked similar to The Lanes Between, coated with stars and colours, and she was surrounded by foliage.

She held a hand up to her chest, feeling her heart inside of her chest being torn apart. "Don't say goodbye…" she pleaded with a whisper, clenching her teeth together in attempt to hold back the tears that begged to roll, "you idiot…you know how much I hate that word." She let out a small sob.

Mai sat there for a while, dwelling in her own tears before she looked down, finding her chest to be a little bear without her black sashes…but she couldn't seem to understand why Kura had taken them off of her, there must have been something that he didn't want to tell her.


End file.
